Platycodon grandiflorus
| Platycodon grandiflorus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Platycodon grandiflorus (common name: balloon flower)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame[1]. Free and quick germination[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the winter when the plants are dormant[2][K].
Basal cuttings of non-flowering shoots in spring, preferably with a piece of root attached[3]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any good well-drained garden soil but prefers a light more or less sandy soil in a sunny position or light dappled shade[4].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[4]. Another report says it is hardy to -20°c[5].
A very ornamental and long-lived plant[6][7], there are several named forms[2]. It is cultivated, especially in China, as a medicinal plant[8][2].
This species has brittle roots and strongly resents root disturbance. It should be planted out in its permanent position as soon as possible, and preferably when dormant in the winter[1][2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat: Grassy slopes in hills and mountains all over Japan[9].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked[10]. The radical leaves are said to be slightly toxic so only the top leaves should be used.
Old leaves are powdered and used as a flavouring.
Root - cooked[10]. Eaten in soups as a tonic vegetable[2]. It is also peeled and pickled or preserved in sugar[11]. A nutritional analysis is available[11].
Medicinal: This species has a history of herbal use in China going back over 2,000 years and modern clinical tests have demonstrated its efficacy[11][2]. It is widely used there in patent remedies and is also made into cough tablets[2].
The root contains saponins and is anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiphlogistic, antitussive, astringent, carminative, expectorant, haemolytic, hypoglycaemic, sedative, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge. It lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels in the liver and inhibits the release of histamine[12][13][14][15][16][11][2][17]. It is used internally in the treatment of coughs with profuse phlegm, colds, bronchitis, pleurisy, pulmonary abscesses and throat infections[15][2]. It is also used to treat hypertension and diabetes in Korea[17]. The root of plants 2 - 3 years old are harvested in the spring or autumn, peeled and used fresh or dried[2].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The root is poisonous[12]. The older, basal leaves are also said to be slightly toxic[18]. If these reports are true then this is an exceptional species in a family that is generally free of toxins and often used for food[K].
Also Known As: Campanula glauca. Thunb. C. grandiflora.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.