射干 she gan

Ixia chinensis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 36. 1753; Belamcanda chinensis var. taiwanensis S. S. Ying; B. pampaninii H. Léveillé; B. punctata Moench; Pardanthus chinensis (Linnaeus) Ker Gawler.

Rhizome pale brown. Stems 1--1.5 m. Leaves 20--60 × 2--4 cm, midvein obscure, apex acuminate. Flowers reddish orange with dark spots, 3--4 cm in diam.; pedicel slender, ca. 1.5 cm. Outer perianth segments obovate or elliptic, ca. 2.5 × 1 cm, base cuneate, apex obtuse. Stamens 1.8--2 cm. Style equaling perianth segments, lobes spreading. Capsule 2.5--3 × 1.5--2.5 cm, apex not beaked. Seeds ca. 5 mm in diam. Fl. Jun--Aug, fr. Jul--Sep. 2 n = (16, 27), 32.

Near sea level to 2200 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Vietnam, and probably elsewhere in SE Asia].

Plants are usually cultivated, and the rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine.