Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

Common Name: Chameleon Plant, Heartleaf, Giap ca, Dokudami
Family: Saururaceae E Meyer.

Country of Origin: Japan south to mountains of Java & Nepal
Habitat: Shrubberies and damp places, to 2400m in the Himalayas

Description: A perennial herb native to mountainous regions of eastern Asia. Grows to 15 inches high with an indefinite spread as a creeping rhizome in moist locations.
[Vietnamese: diec ca, rau diep ca, vap ca]

Uses: The leaves of the chameleon plant are sometimes found in Vietnamese salads and garnishes.. The rhizome, too, is aromatic.
The plant (Japanese chemotype) contains a variety of flavoids, flavonoid glycosides (afzerin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin) and pyridine alkaloids; the essential oil was found to consist mainly of decanal (capry aldehyd), dodecanal (lauryl aldehyd) and 2-hendecanon (methyl nonyl ketone). (Planta Medica 61, 237, 1995)

Accession Data:

Accession # 198501450
Source: Unknown
Accession Date: 12-31-1985
Bench: 2316 - Equisetum
- Currently: active - healthy
- Qty: 2 confirmed on 09-10-2024
Restrictions:
- Potentially Invasive Plant - Plants are not to leave Greenhouse!

Classification:

Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
SubClass: magnoliids
Order: Piperales
SubOrder:
Family: Saururaceae
SubFamily:
Tribe:
SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:

Year	Jan				Feb				Mar					Apr				May				Jun					Jul				Aug				Sep					Oct				Nov				Dec
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

References (internal):

EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: China South-Central / Hainan / China North-Central / China Southeast / Tibet / Japan / Korea / Ogasawara-shoto / Taiwan / Assam / Bangladesh / East Himalaya / Nepal / West Himalaya / Cambodia / Myanmar / Thailand / Vietnam /

References (external):

Plants For A Future Website
Gernot Katzer's Spice Dictionary - last visited on 14 November 2002
The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Tuesday, August 23, 2016.
WCSP (2016). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on Tuesday, August 23, 2016.

data regenerated on Tue, 10 Sep 2024 16:00:01 -0400 [bcm v4.0]