Lily turf (Ophiopogon caulescens)

Lily turf (Ophiopogon caulescens) is a plant species in Asparagaceae, perennial herb, rhizomatosa, suberect or prostrate stem, simple, elongated or short, leaving the basal or cauline, alternately, tufted or scattered, sessile or petiolate, linear to oblong, green and striped.

O. caulescens has a height of about 30 cm, linear leaves, widening to form shade, flat and long, narrow base, progressively wider and taper end, a bone moves linearly in the middle, green on the upper surface and silvery on bottom surface.

Bisexual flowers in panicles, white, nodded and lined up on a black-green stalk. The flower has six tepals, six stamens, short filaments and basifixed anthers. The fruit is green and shows young seeds.

The original habitat of the tropics, altitude 0-1000 m, likes rather moist and shady soils, grows wild in primary forests, secondary forests, abandoned lands, roadsides and is widely used as an ornamental plant.

Lilyturf has a sweet, rather bitter taste and is cold. Tubers contain steroids saponins, ophiopogonin, isoflavonoids, S-glucose, 6-fructose, sucrose, inulin type fructane, β-sitosterol, β-sitosterol glucoside galactagogum and aphrodisiac.

Tubers are used to treat lung abscesses, dry cough, vomiting, fever and dry throat, difficulty defecating and urinating. Usually the tubers boiled to drink water.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Ophiopogon
Species: Ophiopogon caulescens

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