Mao tong yu zhu
Polygonatum inflatum

Family: Asparagaceae

What it is like

A herb. It has rhizomes or underground stems. These are 6-10 mm thick. The stem arches over. It is 50-80 cm high. There are 5-9 leaves. They are alternate. The leaf stalk is 0.5-1.5 cm long. The leaf blade is oval and 8-16 cm long by 7-9 cm wide. The flowering stalk has 2 to 3 flowers. The fruit are blue black berries. They are 1-1.2 cm across. There are 9-13 seeds.

There are about 50 Polygonatum species. Also put in the family Convallariaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forest margins from near sea level to 1000 m altitude in N China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria

How it is used for food

The rhizomes are cleaned, parboiled, drained and partially dried and rubbed between the hands. It is the sliced and cooked with other foods.

Edible parts

Leaves, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Polygonatum inflatum var. rotundifolium Hatusima;