''Atractylodes macrocephala'' Koidz., bái zhú 白术 is a species of ''

Atractylodes ''Atractylodes'' is a genus of Asian flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Species ''Atractylodes'' is native to eastern Asia. * '' Atractylodes amurensis'' – Korea, Amur * '' Atractylodes carlinoides'' – Hubei * '' Atractylodes japoni ...

'' that grows in central China. The roots are consumed as a

Chinese herbal medicine Chinese herbology () is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A ''Nature'' editorial described TCM as "fraught with pseudoscience", and said that t ...

Description

''Atractylodes macrocephala'' are herbs that reach a size of 20-60 cm in height. Thick rhizome. Stem branched from the base,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

. Leaves similar to paper, glabrous. The middle cauline leaves

petiolate Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, a ...

, petiole 3-6 cm; leaf blade divided almost at the base into 3-5 segments, lateral segments entire or bipartite, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptical, 4.5-7 x 1.5-2 cm, with the terminal segment being the largest. The tall cauline leaves are similar but smaller. Outer

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

, elliptical/narrowly elliptical, entire margin; the inner bracts pinnatisects.

Involucre In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...

broadly

campanulate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

, 3-4 cm in diameter. Phyllaries are numerous, imbricated, with white cobwebby margin and apex obtuse; outer phyllaries ovate to triangular, 6-8 × 3-4 mm, bracts lanceolate. Corolla red-purple, 1.7 cm. Achene obconic, 7.5 mm, hairs white. Dirty white papus, 1.7 cm. Flowers and fruits from August to October. It has a chromosome number of ''2n'' = 24 *.

Distribution

It is found in the grasslands, forests, at an altitude of 600-2800 meters, in

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

and

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

in China.

Uses

''Atractylodes macrocephala'' is cultivated throughout China. The rhizomes, called Bái zhú (白术) are used in

traditional chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

for multiple medicinal purposes, especially those concerning spleen issues and other gastrointestinal issues. Modern research shows ''A. macrocephala'' contains many pharmacologically active chemical compounds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8208640 Cynareae Flora of China Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine