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Polygonatum

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Not to be confused with Polygonum.

Polygonatum
Polygonatum multiflorum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Polygonatum
Mill.
Synonyms[1]
  • Axillaria Raf.
  • Salomonia Heist. ex Fabr.
  • Evallaria Neck.
  • Siphyalis Raf.
  • Codomale Raf.
  • Troxilanthes Raf.
  • Campydorum Salisb.
  • Sigillum Montandon in F.Friche-Joset
  • Periballanthus Franch. & Sav.

Polygonatum /ˌpɒlɪˈɡɒnətəm/,[2] also known as King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's seal, is a genus of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae).[3] It has also been classified in the former family Convallariaceae and, like many lilioid monocots, was formerly classified in the lily family, Liliaceae. The genus is distributed throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Most of the approximately 63 species occur in Asia, with 20 endemic to China.[4]

Etymology

"Polygonatum" comes from the ancient Greek for "many knees", referring to the multiple jointed rhizome.[5] One explanation for the derivation of the common name "Solomon's seal" is that the roots bear depressions which resemble royal seals. Another is that the cut roots resemble Hebrew characters.[6]

Description

The fruits are red or black berries.

Taxonomy

Polygonatum humile
Fruit of Polygonatum odoratum
Polygonatum verticillatum

Species

As of June 2014, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 74 species and hybrids:[1]

Uses

Gardening

Several species are valued as ornamental plants, including:[8]

Food

Many species have long been used as food in China. Leaves, stems, and rhizomes are used raw or cooked and served as a side dish with meat and rice. The rhizomes of two local species are eaten with chicken's or pig's feet during festivals. The rhizomes are used to make tea or soaked in wine or liquor to flavor the beverages. They are also fried with sugar and honey to make sweet snacks. The starchy rhizomes can be dried, ground, and added to flour to supplement food staples. The rhizome of P. sibiricum is pulped, boiled, strained, and thickened with barley flour to make a sweet liquid seasoning agent called tangxi. At times, people in China have relied on P. megaphyllum as a famine food.[4]

The shoots of some Polygonatum can be boiled and used like asparagus. P. cirrifolium and P. verticillatum are used as leafy vegetables in India. The American species P. biflorum has a starchy root that was eaten like the potato and used as flour for bread.[4]

P. sibirica is used for a tea called dungulle in Korea.[4]

Traditional medicine

The traditional use of Polygonatum in the treatment of diabetes was first observed in 1930 by Hedwig Langecker. After experiments, she concluded that it was effective in fighting nutritional hyperglycemia, though not that caused by adrenaline release, probably due to its glucokinin content.[9][full citation needed]

P. verticillatum is used in Ayurveda as an aphrodisiac.[10] It is also used to treat pain, fever, inflammation, allergy, and weakness.[11]

An herbal remedy called rhizoma polygonati is a mix of Polygonatum species used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is supposed to strengthen various organs and enhance the qi.[4] Polygonatum is believed to be restorative to mental vitality, especially when the mind has been overworked, overstressed, or is in a state of exhaustion.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Search for "Polygonatum", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2014-06-26
  2. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. 606–607.
  3. ^ Chase, M. W.; Reveal, J. L.; Fay, M. F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 132–136, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e Wujisguleng, W., et al. (2012). Ethnobotanical review of food uses of Polygonatum (Convallariaceae) in China. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81(4) 239-44.
  5. ^ Coombes, A. J. (2012). The A to Z of Plant Names. USA: Timber Press. p. 312.
  6. ^ Solomon's Seal. Botanical.com
  7. ^ English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. 2015. p. 582. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Retrieved 24 December 2016 – via Korea Forest Service.
  8. ^ RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  9. ^ Source:Quer, Pío Font "Plantas Medicinales - El Dioscórides renovado". 1961/2005 Barcelona: Ediciones Península, ISBN 9788483072424
  10. ^ Kasmi, I., et al. (2012). Aphrodisiac properties of Polygonatum verticillatum leaf extract. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease S841-45.
  11. ^ Khan, H., et al. (2011). Antinociceptive activity of aerial parts of Polygonatum verticillatum: Attenuation of both peripheral and central pain mediators. Phytotherapy Research 25(7) 1024-30.
  12. ^ Teeguarden, Ron (1 March 2000). The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs (1st ed.). Grand Central Publishing. p. 216. ISBN 0446675067. Retrieved 12 January 2015.

See also

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Polygonatum.
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