Ai xiao shan mai dong
Liriope minor

Family: Asparagaceae

What it is like

A herb. The roots have fleshy tubers near the tips. It also has stolons or creepers. The leaves are narrow. They are 7-20 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They have 5 veins. There are many sheaths around the base. The flowers occur singly, but sometimes are in clusters of 2 or 3. The flowers are purplish. The seeds are dark blue at maturity. They are 4-5 mm across.

There are 5 or 6 Liriope species. Also put in the family Convallariaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It occurs in forests and on shady hillsides and grassy slopes between 600-2600 m altitude in N China. In Sichuan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Slovenia, Taiwan

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Ophiopogon spicatus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl. var. minor Maxim.; Liriope cernua (Koidzumi) Masamune; Liriope graminifolia (L.) Baker. var. minor (Maxim.) Baker; Liriope spicata (Thunb.) Loureiro var. minor (Maxim.) C.H.Wright; Mondo cernuum Koidzumi; Mondo tokyoense Nakai;