Maianthemum oleraceum
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(c) Siddarth Machado, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Description
A herb. It grows 45-80 cm tall. It has a rhizome that forms tubers. It is 1-2 cm thick. The stems are zigzag shaped. There are 4-9 leaves. These are oblong to sword shaped and 12-21 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. They are loosely hairy underneath. Flowers occur singly in panicle 5-10 cm across. They are white or deep purplish red.
Edible Uses
The young shoots and leaves are cooked in stir-fries or added to soups. The flowers are also edible.
Traditional Uses
The young shoots and leaves are cooked in stir fries and eaten, or added to soups.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
Traditionally used as a food plant in Himalayan and East Asian cuisine.
Distribution
It is a temperate plant. In Sikkim it grows between 2,500-3,500 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Where It Grows
Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Tibet,
Production
In Yunnan in China leaves are harvested in May and June.
Notes
Also put in the family Convallariaceae.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Dong, Nibai, Zhuyecai
References (6)
- Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 577 (As Smilacina oleracea)
- Cheng, Z., et al, 2022, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by Dulong people in northwestern Yunnan, China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2022) 18:3
- Fl. Brit. Ind. 6:323. 1894 (As Smilacina oleracea)
- Ju, Y., et al, 2013, Eating from the wild: diversity of wild edible plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la region, Yunnan, China, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethno medicine 9:28
- Sundriyal, M., et al, 1998, Wild edibles and other useful plants from the Sikkim Himalaya, India. Oecologia Montana 7:43-54 (As Smilacina oleracea)
Show all 6 references Hide references
- Sundriyal, M., et al, 2004, Dietary Use of Wild Plant Resources in the Sikkim Himalaya, India. Economic Botany 58(4) pp 626-638 (As Smilacina oleracea)
