Morphological information

Branches fistular, sulcate striate, and glabrous. Leaves herbaceous membranous, glabrous on both sides, pale glalucescent below, broadly ovate or sub orbicular, at the base rotund, 4 12 cm broad, primary nerves about 5; petiole 3 15 cm long, slender. Male inflorescence axillary or on leafless branchlets arising by the side of minute bracts. Peduncle 4 8 cm long, rays of umbels often 6, very slender. Flowers yellow on filiform 2 4 mm long pediciels, narrowly obconic. Sepals 3 outer ones linear oblong, 2 2.5 mm long, scarcely 0.5 mm broad, 3 inner ones obsphathulate, 2 2.8 by 0.5 0.7mm. Petals 3, stouter, obspathulate, at the apex sometimes 3 lobulate, biglandular above the middle. Fruiting umbels with rays 1.5 cm long, pedicels 0.6 0.8 cm long. Drupes obovate, compressed, endocarp with 20 25 transverse ribs running from the dorsal line.

Flowering                       : March-June

Fruiting                          : August-October

History                           :

Parts                              : Tubers, root.

Status                            : Threatened by extensive use of bulbs.

Phytochemistry

Palmatine, dehydrocorydalmine, palmatrubine, stepharanine, tetrahydropalmatine, corydalamine and stepholidine isolated from tubers; stereostructure of cycleanine; a new alkaloid- N demethylcycleanine- isolated from rhizomes along with capaurine, corynoxidine, corydalamine, tetrahydropalmatine, stepholidine, pdroniciferine, stepharine and  jatrorrhizine.

Traditional

The Lepcha people apply the paste (root and leaf) on boils and skin diseases. Bulbs of the root used as pot for drinking water to poultry, keeps the poultry free from epidemic diseases (Lepcha System Project Report).

Medicinal

The tubers are employed in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma and intestinal complaints. They also possess hypoglycemic activity.

 

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Reference