Chinese cobra lily
Arisaema concinnum

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A fleshy herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 75 cm high. The corm is rounded and 5 cm across. There are 7-11 leaflets. They are oblong to sword shaped and 15-30 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 60 cm long. The blade ends in a curved tail.

There are about 150-170 Arisaema species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in pine forest, broad-leaved forest between 2100-3100 m in China. They suit cool shady forest areas.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Tibet

How it is used for food

The corms are eaten but only after repeated boiling. This removes the oxalates. It is used as a famine food.

Edible parts

Corm, tuber, root

How it is grown

They can be grown from corms or pieces of the rhizome.

Its other names

Local names

Wange, Zhou xu nan xing

Synonyms

Arisaema affine Schott; Arisaema alienatum Schott: