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Belamcanda chinensis - (L.)DC.

Leopard Lily

Author	(L.)DC.	Botanical references	58, 200
Family	Iridaceae	Genus	Belamcanda
Synonyms	Gemmingia chinensis - (L.)Kuntze. Ixia chinensis - L.
Known Hazards	The plant is slightly toxic[147].
Range	E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.
Habitat	Shrubberies and banks at the edge of cultivation in rich damp soils in the Himalayas[51, 147].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 0.25m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Leaves - cooked[105, 177]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Abortifacient; Analgesic; Antibacterial; Antidote; Antifungal; Antiinflammatory; Depurative; Expectorant; Febrifuge; Hepatic; Pectoral; Purgative; Stomachic; Tonic.

The leopard lily has a very long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a bitter cooling herb that acts mainly on the lungs and the liver, lowering fevers and reducing inflammation[238]. It is effective against a number of bacterial, fungal and viral organisms[238] and has also been used as an antidote to snakebites[240]. The root contains several medically active constituents including flavonoids and isoflavonoids[279]. It also contains the glucosides belamcandin, tectoridin, shekanin and iridin[283]. It is analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, depurative, expectorant, febrifuge, pectoral, purgative, stomachic and tonic[46, 61, 147, 176, 178, 218, 238, 279, 283]. It is used in the treatment of acute laryngitis, acute tonsillitis, oedema of the glottis and cough with profuse sputum[176, 279]. The juice of the root is used in Nepal to treat liver complaints, where it has the added benefit of improving the appetite[272]. This juice is also used to abort a foetus during the first trimester of pregnancy[272]. The root should not be prescribed for pregnant women[238]. The root is harvested in the summer and autumn, and dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

Tannin.

The root contains tannin[272].

Cultivation details

Requires a fairly rich sandy or loamy soil in a bright sunny position or light shade. Succeeds in most soils[187]. Requires a position that stays moist in the summer[187]. Plants grow best in areas with long hot summers[238]. A fairly hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -15°c[187] if given a deep dry mulch over the winter. A short lived plant, the bulbs are usually lifted in the autumn and stored in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, replanting them in the spring[233]. They can be left in the ground in the milder areas of the country so long as the soil is well-drained[233]. Individual flowers only live for one day, but the plant produces a succession of blooms over a period of several weeks[238]. Slugs really love this plant and can destroy even quite large clumps as they come into growth in the spring[K].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Pre-chill stored seed for 7 days and sow spring in a cold frame. The seed germinates in 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c[134]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. They can be planted out in early autumn and should flower in the following year[200]. Division in spring or early autumn[200]. Larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.

Links

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press 0 ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 0
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[272] Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002 ISBN 0-88192-527-6
Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.

[279] Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998 ISBN 92 9061 120 0
An excellent book with terse details about the medicinal uses of the plants with references to scientific trials. All plants are described, illustrated and brief details of habitats given.

[283] Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu Medicinal Plants in Vietnam World Health Organisation 1989 ISBN 92 9061 101 4
An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications.

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