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Maianthemum oleraceum (Baker) Lafrankie

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asparagaceae > Maianthemum

Characteristics

Plants 45--80 cm tall. Rhizome tuberous, 1--2 cm thick. Stem ± zigzagged, distally pubescent or glabrescent. Leaves 4--9; petiole 3--7 mm; leaf blade oblong-ovate, oblong-lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate, 12--21 × 2--6 cm, abaxially laxly pubescent. Inflorescence a panicle, 5--10 cm; rachis pubescent. Flowers solitary; pedicel 5--10 mm. Perianth white or deep purplish red; segments nearly free, obovate-oblong, 4--6 × 2--3.5 mm, usually minutely denticulate on distal margin. Filaments subulate, ca. 1.3 mm; anthers ca. 1 mm. Style 2--2.5 mm; stigma 3-lobed. Berries red at maturity, 6--7 mm in diam., 1--3-seeded. Fl. May--Jul, fr. Aug--Oct. 2 n = 36.
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A herb. It grows 45-80 cm tall. It has a rhizome that forms tubers. It is 1-2 cm thick. The stems are zigzag shaped. There are 4-9 leaves. These are oblong to sword shaped and 12-21 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. They are loosely hairy underneath. Flowers occur singly in panicle 5-10 cm across. They are white or deep purplish red.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.5 - 1.0
Mature height (meter) 0.5 - 1.0
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a temperate plant. In Sikkim it grows between 2,500-3,500 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Light 1-6
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

The young shoots and leaves are cooked in stir fries and eaten, or added to soups.
Uses medicinal
Edible flowers leaves shoots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Maianthemum oleraceum world distribution map, present in China, Myanmar, and Nepal

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:943008-1
WFO ID wfo-0000690673
COL ID 6QTB8
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Smilacina crassifolia Tovaria oleracea Smilacina mientienensis Smilacina oleracea Smilacina oleracea f. acuminata Maianthemum oleraceum var. acuminatum Smilacina oleracea var. acuminata Maianthemum oleraceum
WorldFloraDB 2024