Ophiopogon jaburan Seeds | Jaburan Lilyturf
LATIN NAME: Ophiopogon jaburan
COMMON NAME: Jaburan Lilyturf
Plant Profile
Jaburan lilyturf is the big, coarse cousin of the familiar mondo grass, and it makes a different kind of plant altogether in the shade border. The leaves are strap-shaped, two centimetres wide and up to 80 cm long, arching from a slowly spreading crown in a dense, dark green clump; the cultivar most often sold, Vittatus, carries a cream stripe down each leaf. In summer it sends up short spikes of small, white, bell-shaped flowers, and these are followed by oblong blue-violet berries that hang among the foliage into winter. It comes from the forests of southern Japan, where it grows in deep shade on humus-rich soil, and it is hardier than its tropical appearance suggests. It is also, and this matters, not the source of the Chinese drug mai men dong.
Science & Biotechnology
Ophiopogon sits in the Asparagaceae, in the same tribe as Liriope and Convallaria, and the two genera are frequently confused in the nursery trade — Ophiopogon has a raceme of flowers on an upright scape, Liriope has a spike, and the difference in root tuber shape matters if the plant is being sold for medicine. The pharmacopoeial source of mai men dong is O. japonicus, not this species, and the two are not interchangeable. The berries are the dispersal unit, and their blue-violet colour comes from anthocyanins; birds take them in winter. The genus is also of interest for its steroidal saponins, ophiopogonins, which have been studied for anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular activity, mostly in O. japonicus. The plant’s tolerance of deep shade is the result of a low light-compensation point and efficient use of transient sunflecks.
Uses & Benefits
Its main use is as a groundcover for dry shade, where it forms a dense, weed-suppressing clump that looks good all year and needs almost no attention. It is coarser and more architectural than mondo grass, so it works better as a single specimen or in a bold group than as a fine-textured carpet, and the striped form is a useful highlight in a dark corner. It combines well with ferns, hellebores and Japanese shade plants. The flowers are visited by small bees, and the winter berries are taken by blackbirds and thrushes. In Japan it has been used as a garden plant for centuries and is associated with temple gardens. It has no significant medicinal use of its own, and should not be sold as mai men dong.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed in autumn on the surface of a humus-rich, gritty mix, barely covering it, and leave the pot in a cold frame through winter; germination is slow and often does not begin until spring. Named forms, especially the striped one, must be propagated by division in spring, since they do not come true from seed. Grow the plants in shade or part shade, in soil with plenty of leaf mould, and water through dry spells in the first year. Plant out at 40 cm spacing for a clump, closer for a cover. Cut back damaged foliage in early spring before the new leaves emerge. The plant is hardy to about minus 15 and suffers more from winter wet than from cold.
Our Take
A solid, handsome groundcover for difficult shade, and a good example of why the Latin name on the label matters more than the common one.
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