Practical
Plants

Aletris spicata

a perennial member of the Aletris genus in the family Liliaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Aletris
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves - cooked. A famine food, used when all else fails[2].

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The root is antitussive and vermifuge[4].

Product or use
Antitussive
Product or use
Vermifuge

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat
Hills and low mountains in C. and S. Japan[6]. Forests, thicket margins, scrub, grasslands, streamsides, roadsides at elevations of 100 - 2900 metres in China[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in early spring. Sow the seed thinly to allow the seedlings to be grown on for their first year without potting them up, but give a liquid feed from time to time to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Prick the young plants out into individual pots the following spring and grow them on in the greenhouse for the next winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a damp sunny position in peat, leafmold and sand[1]. Requires a sunny position[3].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

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  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  4. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

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  5. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

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  6. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

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