code: 779
Native to Northeast Asia and Korea
Family: Campanulaceae
Common name: Poor Man’s Ginseng, Dang Shen
Plant Classification: Hardy climber Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 2.4 meters
Maximum Height: 3.0 meters
Native to Northeast Asia and Korea, this very vigorous ornamental vine produces heart-shaped leaves and unusual-coloured bell-shaped, yellow-olive green flowers, delicately shaded on the exterior, in yellow and light purple. If you want a strong plant to cover a dead or ugly bush or tree this is the one for you! In China it is used in traditional medicine.
Sowing advice:
Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.
Uses:
The roots of C. pilosula are used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are carrot-shaped or cylindrical, sometimes branched, and up to 30 cm (12 in) long by 3 cm (1.2 in) wide. They are a constituent of Radix Codonopsis, a mixture used in herbal medicine.
The traditional medicinal use of dang sheen has inspired medical studies investigating the root’s capabilities to treat cardiovascular, pulmonary, and digestive conditions.
