Clintonia udensis

Family: Liliaceae

What it is like

A herb which keeps growing from year to year. It is about 1 m high. It has a creeping rootstock about 5 mm thick. It is covered with fibrous sheaths. There are 3-5 leaves. The leaves do not have leaf stalks. The leaf blades are oblong to sword shaped and cup shaped. They are 8-25 cm long by 3-16 cm wide. The edges are hairy when young. There are 3-12 flowers in a group. The flowers are white or sometimes bluish. They occur in racemes at the ends of branches. The fruit is a blackish-blue berry. It is round or oval and 7-12 mm long by 7-10 mm wide. It has many seeds.

There are 5 Clintonia species. Also put in the family Uvulariaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In Nepal it grows at 3200-4000 m altitude. It grows in sparse and alpine forests between 1600-4000 m altitude in China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Russia, SE Asia, Siberia, Sikkim

How it is used for food

The tender leaves and shoots are cooked as a vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed or tubers.

Its other names

Local names

Qi jin gu, Re cchema

Synonyms

Smilacina alpina Royle; Clintonia alpina (Royle)Kunth.; Clintonia udensis var. alpina (Kunth ex Baker)H.Hara.;