What are the latest places of origin for Polygonatum?

Polygonatum is a plant in the genus Polygonatum of the family Liliaceae. Ge Hong's Baopuzi records: “The ancients believed that this product obtained the qi of the kun earth and gained the essence of heaven and earth, hence the name.” It is a perennial herbaceous plant. It can reach up to 1 m in height. The rhizome grows horizontally, like young ginger, thick and fleshy, yellowish-white, and slightly flattened and round. The stem is upright, cylindrical, single, with leaves resembling bamboo but shorter, and white flowers. The rhizome can be used as medicine. It has the functions of supplementing qi and nourishing yin, strengthening the spleen, moistening the lungs, and benefiting the kidneys.

What are the places of origin of Polygonatum?

1. Long-leaf Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant long-leaf Polygonatum. It grows under mountain forests, in thickets, or in semi-shaded hillsides. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China, and Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and other places.

2. Many-flowered Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant many-flowered Polygonatum. It grows in mountain forests, thickets, and shady, moist, fertile soil beside gullies, or is cultivated artificially. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Central South China, as well as Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, and other places.

3. Rehe Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant Rehe Polygonatum (also known as many-flowered Solomon's seal). Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Northeast China, Hebei, and other places.

4. Yunnan Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant Yunnan Polygonatum. It grows under forests, in thickets, or on shady, moist grassy slopes. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and other places.

5. Curled-leaf Polygonatum, also known as tiger ginger and hooked-leaf yellow club. It is the root of the congeneric plant curled-leaf Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, and other places.

6. Rose-red Polygonatum, also known as purple-flowered Polygonatum. It is the root of the congeneric plant rose-red Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Hebei, Shanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, and other places.

7. Gansu Polygonatum, also known as sheep-horn ginseng. It is the root of the congeneric plant Gansu Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in northwest China.

8. Curved-style Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant curved-style Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Ningxia.

9. Red-fruited Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant red-fruited Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Qinghai, Gansu, and other places.

10. Long-stalked Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant long-stalked Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Zhejiang and Fujian.

11. Deep-mountain Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant deep-mountain Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and other places.

12. Naked-flowered Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant naked-flowered Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Sichuan and other places.

13. Opposite-leaf Polygonatum, also known as club-filament Polygonatum. It is the root of the congeneric plant opposite-leaf Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Tibet and other places.

14. Spotted-stem Polygonatum is the root of the congeneric plant spotted-stem Polygonatum. Its places of origin are mainly distributed in Guangxi and other places.

What are the common aliases of Polygonatum?

Chicken-head ginseng, sac-filament Polygonatum (white hyacinth orchid Polygonatum). King's Polygonatum (Yunnan Polygonatum, southwest Polygonatum, Debao Polygonatum, joint-by-joint tall), many-flowered Polygonatum, Solomon's seal Polygonatum, ginger-shaped Polygonatum, chicken-head Polygonatum, ginger, wild ginger, wild immortal ginger, mountain ginger, tiger ginger, mountain ginger, rabbit bamboo, deer bamboo, immortal's surplus grain, famine-relief grass, yellow chicken root, wuji mushroom, poverty-relief, rice shop, yellow mushroom, yellow chicken vegetable, dragon bit, sun grass, hanging pearl, chicken grid, gou grid. Horse arrow, earth lingzhi, yangque hong, mountain pound white, white ji, pen vegetable, pen-tube vegetable, ginger rui, double embrace.

Morphological characteristics of Polygonatum

Polygonatum is a perennial herb. The rhizome grows horizontally, is thick and fleshy, yellowish-white, and slightly flattened and round. It has several stem scars, and the stem scar areas are relatively thick, with the thickest part reaching up to 2.5 cm in diameter, and a few fibrous roots grow from it. The stem is upright, cylindrical, single, 50-80 cm tall, smooth and hairless. Leaves are sessile; usually 4-5 in a whorl; the leaf blade is linear-lanceolate to linear, 7-11 cm long and 5-12 mm wide, with an acuminate and curled tip, green above and light green below. Flowers are axillary, drooping, with a pedicel 1.5-2 cm long, forked at the tip, bearing 2 flowers; the bracts are small, much shorter than the pedicel; the perianth is tubular, 8-13 mm long, white, with 6 toothed lobes at the tip, greenish-white; stamens 6, inserted in the middle of the perianth tube, with smooth filaments; pistil 1, equal in length to the stamens, ovary superior, with white hairs on the stigma. The berry is spherical, 7-10 mm in diameter, and black when mature. The flowering period is May-June, and the fruiting period is June-July.