Common Name:

General Information

Disporum cantoniense is a herbaceous perennial plant with a thick, creeping rhizome, usually growing from 50 - 100cm tall, with occasional specimens to 150cm[].
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia

Habitat

Cool shady places at elevations from 1,100 - 2,900 metres in Nepal[]. Forests and thickets; at elevations from 700 - 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Disporum cantoniense is not a very cold-hardy plants, tolerating occasional, short-lived winter temperatures down to around -8°c[].
Best grown in partial shade in a moist peaty or woodland soil[, ].
Plants spread rapidly[] by means of creeping rhizomes when they are grown in a leafy soil[].

Edible Uses

Tender leaves and young shoots - cooked. Used as a vegetable[].

Medicinal

The juice of the roots is used in the treatment of fevers[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[]. Use a lime-free compost and keep it moist[]. Stored seed requires 6 weeks cold stratification and should be sown as early in the year as possible[]. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 6 months or more at 15°c[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring[].