Prince ginseng
Pseudostellaria heterophylla

Family: Caryophyllaceae

What it is like

An erect herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 5-20 cm high. The root tubers are long and narrow. They are 104 cm long by 4-5 mm wide. The leafy shoots emerge from the rootstock. The lower 3 or 4 nodes have opposite scales. The first 2 or 3 pairs of leaves are broadly sword shaped and 2-7 cm long by 3-6 mm wide then the uppermost 2 pairs of leaves grow close together. The flowers are of 2 types. Those at the top are white and upright. There are also flowers near the small lower bracts.

In the wild it is an endangered species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In China it grows in mountain valleys and moist and shaded forests between 800-2,700 m above sea level. In Sichuan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Japan, Korea

How it is used for food

The root is used for soup. It can be dried and stored. It is used as a substitute for ginseng.

It is a cultivated food crop.

Edible parts

Root, tubers

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Tai zhi shen

Synonyms

Krascheninikovia heterophylla Miq.; Krascheninikovia rhaphanorrhiza (Hemsl.) Korsh.; Pseudostellaria rhaphanorrhiza (Hemsl.) Pax; Stellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Hemsl.; Stellaria rhaphanorrhiza Hemsl.;