Atractylodes macrocephala

Atractylodes macrocephala, known as Bai Zhu, is a perennial. It belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae. Kew places its native range from southern China to Japan. It grows in temperate parts of this region. Chinese records include Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Guizhou. Its habitats include pastures, grassland, forests and disturbed ground. Records place it at elevations of 1,969–9,186 feet [600–2,800 metres].

The plant reaches about 1.6 feet [0.5 metres] tall. Its spread is about 1.3 feet [0.4 metres]. This modest size suits a cultivated bed. Flowers appear from July to August. Seeds ripen from August to September, following the summer bloom. The species has separate male and female plants. Grow both sexes when seed production is the aim. A single plant cannot supply both flower sexes.

Give Bai Zhu moist soil that drains well. It accepts sandy soil, loam and clay. Drainage matters across all three soil types. It also accepts mildly acid, neutral and mildly alkaline conditions. Grow it in full sun or partial shade. Light woodland shade is another suitable setting. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 5–9. It also reports tolerance of at least 5°F [-15°C]. That source considers it likely hardy across most of Britain.

Seed offers a way to raise new plants. Sow in spring in a cold frame. Cover the seed with only a thin soil layer. Move seedlings into separate pots once large enough to handle. Plant them in their final beds the next spring or early summer. Its small size allows space within a mixed cultivated bed. Its soil and light tolerance gives gardeners several choices of site.

China grows Bai Zhu widely as a medicinal herb. Traditional Chinese medicine uses its root, often with other herbs. Reported uses include poor appetite, indigestion, diarrhoea, swelling and sweating. These are records of medicinal use, not proof of treatment benefit. The root contains essential oil, glucoside and inulin. Plants For A Future lists no known food uses. It also lists no known hazards or other uses. That lack of reported hazards does not establish safety for eating. The supplied sources give no specific pest or disease problems.