This species and Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott are closely related and botanits disagree on the boundaries between them. In some treatments, Arisaema erubescens is restricted to Nepal and all ofther occurrences are treated as Arisaema consanguineum. In others Arisaema consanguineum is treated as a synonym of Arisaema erubescens. We are following the treatment in the Kew 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, which treats the two species as distinct with Arisaema erubescens only found in Nepal[].

Common Name: Tian Nan Xing

General Information

Arisaema consanguineum is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a tuber that is usually renewed seasonally. The plant produces a usually solitary leaf up to 100cm tall and a flowering stem up to 75cm tall. The tuber also produces some tubercles around its base - these become separated from the old tuber at the end of the season, growing on in subsequent years to form new plants[].
The plant is often used in Chinese herbalism and is commonly harvested from the wild. The plant is also occasionally used as a food.

Known Hazards

The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water.

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - China, Taiwan, Himalayas of India and Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam.

Habitat

Damp shady pine and mixed forests, shrubberies and grassy slopes at elevations of 1800 - 3300 metres in the Himalayas[, , ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Flies
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Arisaema consanguineum is only hardy in the milder regions of the temperate zone, It tolerates occasional temperatures down to about -10°c[], though the young growth can be damaged by spring frosts[].
Prefers a cool peaty soil in the bog, woodland garden or a sheltered border in semi-shade[]. Prefers a loamy or peaty soil[] and will tolerate a sunny position if the soil is moist but not water-logged and the position is not too exposed[, ]. This species requires a warm corner in British gardens[].
Tubers should be planted about 10cm deep[]. Only plant out full sized tubers and mulch them with organic matter in the winter[]. Plants need protection from slugs[].
Most species in this genus are dioecious, but they are sometimes monoecious and can also change sex from year to year.
The plant is paradioecious. The sex depends on nutrition and is therefore variable from one year to another[]. Smaller plants produce only staminate flowers, whilst larger plants produce either staminate and pistillate flowers simultaneously or pistillate flowers only. Changes in gender expression are directly correlated with size and are also influenced by the environment in which the plants are growing. Reversions in phenotypic gender have been experimentally induced by such factors as removing leaf area or changing soil nutrient levels[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - boiled and used as a vegetable[]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

The tubers of several species in this genus are recorded as being edible after treatment. We have no specific information for this species, but the depressed-globose tuber is 2 - 7cm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

Tian Nan Xing has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for thousands of years and is valued especially for its beneficial affect upon the chest[]. When prescribed internally it is always used dried and in conjunction with fresh ginger root[].

The root is an acrid irritant herb that is anodyne, antibacterial, antifungal, antiphlogistic, antirheumatic, anticancer, antispasmodic, antitumor, expectorant, sedative and stomachic[, , , ]. The dried root is used internally in the treatment of coughs with profuse phlegm, tumours, cervical cancer, epilepsy, tetanus and complaints involving muscular spasms[, ].
The fresh root is applied externally as a poultice to ulcers and other skin complaints[].
The root is harvested when the plant is dormant in the autumn or winter and is dried for later use[].

The whole plant is anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and anodyne[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame[]. Stored seed remains viable for at least a year and can be sown in spring in the greenhouse but it will probably require a period of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least a coupe of years until the corms are more than 20mm in diameter. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant.
Division of tubers when the plant dies down in late summer.