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Polygonatum odoratum
Also called Scented Solomon’s-seal, Solomon's Seal, Aromatic Solomon's Seal, Pungdo Solomon’s Seal, Scented Solomon's Seal
A rhizomatous perennial (often called a subshrub) grown for its arching stems and fragrant hanging white flowers. It spreads slowly by underground rhizomes in moist, shaded spots.
Polygonatum odoratum (syn. P. officinale), the angular Solomon's seal or scented Solomon's seal, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, China, Mongolia, Korea, Nepal and Japan. In the United Kingdom it is one of three native species of the genus, the others being P. multiflorum and P. verticillatum.
The genus name Polygonatum comes from the Greek words "poly", meaning "many", and "gonu", meaning "knee joint". This is in reference to the plant's jointed rhizomes. The Latin specific epithet odoratum means "scented".
Polygonatum odoratum, like its relative lily of the valley, is cultivated in moist, shaded situations, where it will spread by underground stolons. Cultivars include 'Flore pleno' and 'Variegatum'.
Polygonatum odoratum is used in traditional Chinese medicine and Traditional Korean medicine, where it is called yùzhú (玉竹) and dunggulle (둥굴레) respectively. In Korea, the root of the plant is used to make tea.
Smooth Solomon's seal · Dwarf solomon's seal · Garden Solomon's Seal · Solomon's seal · Hairy Solomon's seal · Whorled Solomon's-seal · Solomon's Seal
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Polygonatum odoratum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
