Dark-purple Fritillary

Dark-purple Fritillary

　　Chinese Species Name: 暗紫贝母

　　Latin Species Name: Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K. C. Hsia

　　Chinese Family Name: 百合科

　　Latin Family Name: Liliaceae

　　Chinese Genus Name: 贝母属

　　Latin Genus Name: Fritillaria

　　Domestic Distribution: Produced in northwestern Sichuan (Songpan, Ruo’ergai, Barkam, Shuajingsi, Hongyuan, Li County) and southeastern Qinghai (Xinghai, Henan, Guoluo, Banma)

　　Altitude: 3200–4500

　　Naming Source: [Acta Phytotax. Sin. 15(2): 39.f.4: 2-3. 1977]

　　Flora of China: 14:109

　　English Flora: 24:131

　　Sichuan Fritillary Bulb — Dark-purple Fritillary Bulb Bulbus Fritillariae Unibracteatae

　　(English) Unibract Fritillary Bulb

　　[Alias] Black-flower Fritillary, Pine Fritillary.

　　[Source] The bulb of the lily family plant Dark-purple Fritillary Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K. C. Hsia.

　　[Plant Morphology] A perennial herb, 15–23 cm tall. Bulb diameter 6–8 mm. Leaves are mostly opposite, linear or linear-lanceolate, 3.6–5.5 cm long, 3–5 mm wide. Flowers are solitary, with one leaf-like bract; tepals 2.5–2.7 cm long, deep purple with small yellowish-brown squares, 6–10 mm wide; stamens about half the length of the tepals, anthers nearly basifixed; stigma lobes very short, about 0.5–1 mm long. Capsule 1–1.5 cm long, 1–1.2 cm wide, angled, with narrow wings on the angles about 1 mm wide. Flowering period in June, fruiting in August.

　　Grows on grasslands at altitudes of 3200–4500 m. Mainly produced in Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu.

　　[Harvesting and Processing] Harvested from July to September when the plants are not yet withered, dug out with soil, sun-dried or lightly baked, stirred frequently with bamboo or wooden tools until the surface turns off-white, then screened to remove soil, placed in sacks, gently beaten to remove adhering soil and old skin, then dried.

　　[Characteristics] Bulb is conical or heart-shaped, 5–9 mm in diameter, 4–8 mm high. Surface is off-white and relatively smooth. The two outer scales are markedly different in size, the larger tightly wrapping the smaller, with the visible part of the smaller scale crescent-shaped, commonly called “moon-embracing-in-the-bosom.” The tip is rather pointed or blunt-rounded, mostly closed, the base is relatively flat and slightly concave. Contains small scales and bud. Slight aroma, mildly sweet taste.

　　[Chemical Components] Contains chuanbeinone and imperialine.

　　[Properties and Flavor] Slightly cold in nature, bitter and sweet in flavor.

　　[Functions and Indications] Clears heat and moistens lung, resolves phlegm and calms wheezing. Used for lung heat with dry cough, non-productive or scanty cough, yin-deficiency cough, and coughing with blood-streaked sputum.