Common Name:

General Information

Hylodesmum oldhamii is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing a cluster of erect stems from a woody rootstock. It can grow 80 - 130cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and pesticide.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Russian Far East, eastern China, central and southern Japan, Korea.

Habitat

Woods and thickets in C. and S. Japan[]. Forests on mountain slopes, streamsides, thickets and rocky places at elevations of 100 - 1700 metres[]. Oak groves and shrubby thickets, gravelly soils of mountain slopes[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny sheltered position[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[].

Young seedpods[]. No more details.

A tea is made from the leaves[, ].

Medicinal

The whole plant is used medicinally for eliminating toxins in the body, promoting blood production and diuresis[].

Other Uses

The whole plant is used as an insecticide[].

An extract of the whole plant is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Scarify and pre-soak stored seed for 5 hours in warm water then sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 1 - 4 months at 25°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from frost in their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, mid summer in a frame.
Division as the plant comes into growth in the spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Root cuttings in winter.