Japanese Atractylodes (Atractylodes japonica)

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Atractylodes japonica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Buds and young leaves. No more details are given. Root - cooked. A famine food used when all else fails. — Buds and young leaves.; No more details are given.; A famine food used when all else fails.

Habitat & North American Range

Hills and mountains of central and southern Japan. Forests and forest margins at elevations of 200 - 800 metres in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces of eastern China. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)