Practical
Plants

Gnaphalium japonicum

an annual member of the Gnaphalium genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.4 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

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][3].

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 plant is expectorant[5].

Product or use
Expectorant

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat
Sunny places in lowland and mountains, C. and S. Japan[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow late spring in situ and only just cover the seed.

Cultivation

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

Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[4]. Useful as an edging plant, especially on poor soils[1].

References

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

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  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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

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

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

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