Common Name:

General Information

Paris verticillata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a slender, creeping rhizomatous rootstock; it produces a cluster of erect, unbranched stems 25 - 60cm long topped by a whorl of 5 - 9 leaves and a single, terminal flower[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. The young shoots are sold in local food markets in Korea[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Russia (Siberia to the Russian Far East), Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea

Habitat

Forests, thickets, grassy and shady places, hillsides along ravines; at elevations from 1,100 - 3,600 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Young shoots in spring[]. Used as 'namul' in Korea - this is a cooked side dish prepared by steaming or blanching the vegetables, placing them in small serving bowls with sesame oil seasoning and serving them at room temperature[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in late summer in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as soon as it is received. The seed is very slow to germinate. It produces a primary root about 7 months after sowing, this pulls the seed deeper into the soil. Leaves are produced about 4 months later[]. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be thinned and grow the young plants on undisturbed in a shady part of the greenhouse for their first two years of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. At the end of the second year's growth prick out the young plants into individual pots and grow them on for another year or two in a shady part of the greenhouse before planting them out in the spring.
Division.