Paris polyphylla

Description

Paris polyphylla is an Asian species of flowering plant native to China, Taiwan, the Indian Subcontinent, and Indochina. It produces spider-like flowers that throw out long, thread-like, yellowish green petals throughout most of the warm summer months and into the autumn. In the fall, the flowers are followed by small, scarlet berries. It is a perennial, which slowly spreads, is fully hardy in Britain, and survives in leafy, moist soil in either complete or partial shade. This plant usually grows up to 90 cm (3 ft) high and spreads out about 30 cm (1 ft) wide. Its leaves grow in a single whorl below a flower growing in two whorls. It is used as an ornamental plant for woodland gardens or for planting under deciduous trees. The generic name Paris is derived from the word pars, or equal, which refers to the symmetry of the plant and the multiples of four in which its foliage, flowers, and fruits grow. The specific epithet, polyphylla, means 'with many leaves'. It is also referred to as Ch'i Yeh I Chih Hua in China, meaning "seven-leaves-one-flower". Its Nepali name is Satuwa, and it is referred to as the "Love Apple" in English. Paris polyphylla has been used by local inhabitants of Nepal traditionally since ancient times. They use it primarily for fevers and headaches, burns, wounds, and many livestock disease mainly to neutralize poisons. People harvest the rhizome of the Paris polyphylla at fruiting season (October), just before the plant dies because the plant is abundant at this time. However, the local people, especially the Gurungs, believe that the plant harvested on Tuesdays of mid April (i.e. last Tuesday of Chaitra month) will be more effective as a medicine than those harvested at any other season. There used to be a large scale collection and trading of the rhizomes; they were traded to Pokhara city or Kathmandu. However, no trade of Paris polyphylla occurs at present because it is banned for commercial collection as it falls under the Annapurna Conservation Area.