Peliosanthes

Scientific name

Peliosanthes Andrews

Common names

China lily, tropical lily of the valley

Family

Asparagaceae

Similar genera

Lagenandra, Ophiopogon, Piptospatha

Native distribution

southeast Asia, particularly India

Species cultivated

Peliosanthes sp.

Peliosanthes teta subsp. humilis [P. javanica] (rarely cultivated)

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

information not available

Habit

terrestrial terrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
herb; able to tolerate short periods submerged

Brief description

Small to medium rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
plant. Rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
; sympodialsympodial:
(adj) a type of branching in which the main stem branches into successive repeated dichotomous branches
branching, rarely caulescentcaulescent:
(adj) having a more or less well developed above-ground stem
. Leaves basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
; petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
, sheathing; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear to elliptic; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
typically acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base attenuateattenuate:
(adj) narrowing gradually to a point
to round; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a many-flowered racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
; scapescape:
(n) a leafless flowering stalk arising from ground level in acaulescent plants
erect; bracts membranous; pedicelspedicels:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
articulated near apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
. Flowers small, greenish red to purple; tepals 6, fused into a short tube, lobes 1/3 to 2/3 as long as tepals; stamens 6; filaments connateconnate:
(adj) of plant parts congenitally united into a single structure
in a fleshy, epipetalousepipetalous:
(adj) (of stamens) arising from the petals
coronacorona:
(n) a crown-like growth on the inside of the corolla
, inserted on inside of the nectarynectary:
(n) a specialized gland producing nectar
; stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
conicalconical:
(adj) perfectly cone-shaped
to trigonoustrigonous:
(adj) three-angled
; stigmastigma:
(n) the portion of the pistil that is receptive to pollen
capitatecapitate:
(adj) terminated by an enlarged and rounded head
or trilobed.

Natural habitat

forests, from lowlands to mountains

Additional comments

Peliosanthes, a genus comprising about 20 species, is far from well defined. Although none are truly aquatic, some species of Peliosanthes are often offered as aquarium plants in stores; these are able to tolerate short periods submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
and greater periods in flooded soil.