Zhi mu
Anemarrhena asphodeloides

Family: Asparagaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year and has rhizomes or underground stems. The rhizomes are 10 cm long by 0.5-1.7 cm wide. The leaves develop from the base and are grass like. They are 10-60 cm long by 0.15-1 cm wide. The scape is 35-100 cm long. The flowers are pink, purple or white. The fruit is a capsule which is 0.8-1 cm long by 0.3-0.6 cm wide. It has 6 prominent angles. The seeds are black.

There is one Anemarrhena species. The rhizomes are used in medicine. It has also been put in the family Anemarrhenaceae.

Where it is found

A cool temperate plant. It grows in scrub and grassy slopes in sunny places and on sandy hillsides from sea level to 1500 m in N China. In Sichuan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Korea, Mongolia, Taiwan

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Terauchia anemarrhenifolia Nakai;