Tsi, Chameleon, Rainbow Plant, Chameleon Plant
Houttuynia cordata
Family: Saururaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Upright or erect, Variable spread.
Houttuynia cordata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist or wet soil and can grow in water.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Shrubberies and damp places to 2400 metres in the Himalayas. Often found as a weed in wet fields.
E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Teder young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked as a pot-herb. The leaves and young shoots are harvested in the spring when about 8cm long. Strongly aromatic according to one report whilst others say that it is rather smelly and somewhat like rotten fish. Our experience is that the leaves have a delicious orange-like smell and make a marvellous flavouring in salads. One report says that there are two distinct chemotypes of this species. Plants from Japan have an orange scent, whilst those from China have a smell resembling coriander leaves (Coriandrum sativum). Some people seem to really like this leaf, others are indifferent to it or strongly dislike it. It also varies quite considerably according to the time of year. In the spring and summer it has a very acceptable flavour, but by autumn a distinct bitterness has crept in. Root - cooked. Same comments on the smell as for the leaves. Fruit. No further details, but the fruit is a capsule that contains many small seeds.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 3
The whole plant is antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antimicrbial, antiphlogistic, antiviral, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, hypoglycaemic, laxative and ophthalmic. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of many ailments including cancer, coughs, dysentery, enteritis and fever. Its use is said to strengthen the immune system. Externally, it is used in the treatment of snake bites and skin disorders. The leaves and stems are harvested during the growing season and used fresh in decoctions. The leaf juice is antidote and astringent. A root extract is diuretic. The root is also said to be used in medicinal preparations for certain diseases of women. The rhizomes yield a sterol, resembling sitosterol, which stimulates the secretion of antibiotic substances from a gram-positive spore-forming bacillus. An active substance, effective in the treatment of stomach ulcers, has been extracted from the plant.
Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.
Antidote: Counters poisoning.
Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.
Antiphlogistic: Reduces inflammation.
Antiviral: Treats virus diseases
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Hypoglycaemic: Reduces the levels of sugar in the blood.
Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Women's complaints: A very vague title, it deals with a miscellany of problems peculiar to the female sex.
Other
Rating: 2
A good ground cover plant. Plants do not form a weed-suppressing cover. A spreading plant, it should be spaced about 45cm apart each way.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Foundation, Ground cover, Massing, Woodland garden. Requires a moist to wet soil or shallow water, partial shade and a sheltered position. Whilst it grows best in a bog garden, it will succeed in moist garden borders and has also grown fairly well in a dry soil in Cornwall. It succeeds in full shade. Plants are hardy to about -15°c, the top growth is killed back by frost though the roots are much hardier. Even the roots, though, can be killed in severe winters. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties. 'Chameleon' has very attractively variegated leaves with the same flavour as the species. The bruised leaves emit a strong citrus smell rather like orange peel. Plants have a widely spreading root system and are very invasive, though they are easier to control in drier soils. Creeps harmlessly between ferns. Cultivated as a salad crop in Vietnam and in W. China.. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. Plants growing in an area with a high rabbit population were not eaten by them although other plants growing nearby were attacked. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Fragrant foliage, Not North American native, Invasive, Naturalizing, Wetlands plant, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 12 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring. Very quick and easy, it can be done successfully at almost any time in the growing season. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover; Pond; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 5-10
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Full shade, semi-shade
Moisture: Moist, wet, water
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
Gymnotheca chinensis. Polypara cochinchinensis.