Platycodon grandiflorus
Platycodon grandiflorus
Safety & Hazards
The root is poisonous[ 116 Title Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Publication Author Brooklyn Botanic Garden Publisher Brooklyn Botanic Garden Year 1986 ISBN - Description A small booklet packed with information. ]. The older, basal leaves are also said to be slightly toxic[ 179 Title Famine Foods listed in the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Publication Author Reid. B. E. Publisher Southern Materials Centre; Taipei Year 1977 ISBN - Description A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating. ]. If these reports are true then this is an exceptional species in a family that is generally free of toxins and often used for food[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ].
Botanical Description
Platycodon grandiflorus is an erect, herbaceous perennial plant growing from a tuberous rootstock; it can grow around 50 - 90cm tall[ 283 Title Medicinal Plants in Vietnam Publication Author Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu Publisher World Health Organisation Year 1989 ISBN 92 9061 101 4 Description An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications. ] The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. The roots are sold as food in local markets in Korea[ 1665 Title Wild Food Plants in South Korea; Market Presence, New Crops, and Exports to the United States Publication Economic Botany, Vol. 50, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1996), pp. 57-70 Author Pemberton R.W. & Nam Sook Lee Website http://www.jstor.org/stable/4255805 Publisher Year 1996 ISBN Description ]. The plant is cultivated for medicinal use and also sometimes as a food crop[ 1665 Title Wild Food Plants in South Korea; Market Presence, New Crops, and Exports to the United States Publication Economic Botany, Vol. 50, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1996), pp. 57-70 Author Pemberton R.W. & Nam Sook Lee Website http://www.jstor.org/stable/4255805 Publisher Year 1996 ISBN Description ]. It is often grown as an ornamental.