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Cryptotaenia japonica - Hassk.

Mitsuba

Author	Hassk.	Botanical references	58, 275
Family	Umbelliferae	Genus	Cryptotaenia
Synonyms	Cryptotaenia canadensis japonica - (Hassk.)Makino.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat	Woodland in hills and mountains[52, 58].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Perennial growing to 1m by 0.6m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root; Stem.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Leaves and stems - raw or cooked[2, 52, 116]. Used as a flavouring with a parsley-like flavour if you let your imagination run away with you[K]. Seedlings and young leaves can be used in salads[206]. When cooking, the leaves should not be cooked for more than a couple of minutes or the flavour is destroyed[206]. The leaves contain about 2.3% protein, 0.23% fat, 4.4% carbohydrate, 2.1% ash[179]. Root - raw or cooked[2, 52, 116, 183]. Blanched stem - a celery substitute[2, 116]. The seed is used as a seasoning.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Febrifuge; Tonic; Women's complaints.

Women's complaints. Used in the treatment of haemorrhages, colds, fevers etc[178]. Used as a tonic for strengthening the body[266].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils, preferring a moist shady position under trees where it often self-sows[52]. The leaves tend to turn yellow when plants are grown in full sun[206]. This species is not winter-hardy in all areas of Britain, though plants can tolerate short periods at temperatures down to -10°c[206]. Mitsuba is commonly cultivated as a vegetable in Japan, there are some named varieties[183]. It is usually grown as an annual[206]. It is closely allied to C. canadensis, and is considered to be no more than a synonym of that species by some botanists[200]. This plant is adored by slugs and snails and must be protected when small or when new growth is emerging in the spring[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow April in a greenhouse. Germination is usually rapid, prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. The ideal temperature for sowing is about 25°c, though seed does germinate at higher and lower temperatures[206]. Seed can also be sown in early autumn[206]. Division in spring or autumn.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Why Perennials, Woodland Garden Plants, Plants for Problem Places - North Facing Walls and Deep Shade, The Woodland Edge Garden.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 0
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

[275] Flora of Japan 0
An on-line version of the flora - an excellent resource.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Cryptotaenia japonica

Chris Brown Fri, 14 May 1999 13:44:48

I recently obtained a Cryptotaenia japonica plant from a local plant sale (Eugene, Oregon); the grower said it was an edible, so that made it a very appealing addition to my garden. As it was not in any of my horticultural reference books, I decided to do an internet search to see what kind of conditons it would flourish in. To my surprise, the North Carolina State University declared it a poisonous plant!

I then discovered your page, which confirmed my original information, which lists it as an edible plant. I don't know which source is correct, yours or the University's, but I don't think I will be eating it anytime soon!

Cryptotaenia japonica

Shani Sun Aug 26 21:55:18 2001

This is what the site has to say regarding edibility of this plant.

North Carolina State University website (link - http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Cryptja.htm )

Poisonous Part Leaves. Symptoms Severe skin irritation following repeated contact. Edibility EDIBLE PARTS: Cooked, starchy Oriental vegetable (root) or salad greens. Toxic Principle Unidentified. Severity TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN.

Why Perennials

A Taiwanese Fri Sep 8 2006

Cryptotaenia japonica is eaten in Taiwan not as a vegatable but as a seasoning. Just a few leaves are consumed each time.

Cryptotaenia japonica

Monica Beavis Tue Aug 14 2007

I recently discovered Cryptotaenia Japonica Atropurpurea when visiting the plant center at Cottesbrooke Manor in Norhamptonshire. As an avid plant collector for the past 35 years, a completely unheard of plant presented a great temptation to me. It's form reminded me of a miniature Crambe (Ht. about .5mtrs) but the leaf and stem are purple and the flowers pink and Gypsophila like. Slugs love it and comsume it in much the same ways as they do the tall hardy Lobelia Queen Victoria. Having parted with my £6 I was mortified to discover no listing in the RHS encyclopedia, now I read it is either a oison or a vegetable. Cottesbrooke claim it is hardy but go no indication of what conditions the plant would require. Can anyone tell me anything more before the slugs devour it completely.

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