| Rohdea japonica | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Rohdea japonica (Thunb.) Roth |
Rohdea japonica, the sole species in the genus Rohdea, is a flowering plant in the family Ruscaceae, native to eastern Asia from southwestern China to Japan. Common names include Nippon Lily, Sacred Lily, and Japanese Sacred Lily; synonyms include Orontium japonicum, Rohdea esquirolii, and Rohdea sinensis. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant, with fibrous roots. The leaves are evergreen, broad lanceolate, 15-50 cm long and 2.5-7 cm broad, with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in a short, stout, dense spike 3-4 cm long, each flower pale yellowish, 4-5 mm long. The fruit is a red berry 8 mm diameter, produced in a tight cluster of several together. Although sometimes misspelled as Rhodea, the genus was actually named after Michael Rohde (1782-1812), a botanist from Bremen.
Cultivation and uses
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. In Chinese it is called wan nian qing (simplified: 万年青; traditional: 萬年青; lit. "evergreen"), and in Japanese it is called omoto. The plant is also used in traditional Chinese medicine, though it is generally regarded as inedible and possibly toxic.
