Diphylleia grayi explained

Diphylleia grayi, the skeleton flower, is a species of perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae. It is native to northern and central Japan.^[1]

Description

The plant grows up to 0.4m (01.3feet). The flowers are white, pedicellate, with six obovate petals and bloom from May to July.^[2] After it flowers, it bears dark blue/purple fruit with a white powdery coating from June to August. Its stems are terete and grow 30cm-60cmcm (10inches-20inchescm) long. Its rhizomes are stout and knotty. The plant is known to have petals that become transparent when in contact with water, giving it its common name. Once it is dry, the petals return to white.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is distributed from north to central Honshu, Hokkaido, Mount Daisen, and Sakhalin. It grows in slightly moist places in the woods of high mountains.^{[4] [5]}

Medical uses

In the 1960s, botanist Yanagi Kimura discovered that D. grayi crude extracts contain substances similar to, but more powerful than podophyllin and colchicine. The extract had anti-tumor effects on transplantable animal tumors.^[6]

See also

• Gymnosiphon suaveolens

Notes and References

1. Web site: Diphylleia grayi F. Schmidt . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190422165121/https://eol.org/pages/5515614 . 2019-04-22 . 23 November 2021 . Encyclopedia of Life.
2. Web site: Diphylleia grayi - F.Schmidt. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160417134058/http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diphylleia+grayi . 2016-04-17 . 7 January 2022 . Plants for a Future.
3. Web site: Skeleton Flower . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150525025017/http://www.ourbreathingplanet.com:80/skeleton-flower/ . 2015-05-25 . 7 January 2022 . Our Breathing Planet.
4. Book: 日本の高山植物 . Yamakei . 1988 . 4635090191 . 山溪カラー名鑑 . 431.
5. Book: Ohwi, Jisaburo . Flora of Japan . . 1965 . Washington . 464 . en . 10.5962/bhl.title.43786 . 65062683 . 182709297.
6. Yamamoto . Kohtaro . Kimura . Yanagi . December 1964 . Cytological Effects of Chemicals on Tumors, XXV. : Further Studies on the Effect of Diphylleia grayi Extracts on Tumor Cells (With 2 Text-figures and 2 Tables) . 北海道大學理學部紀要 . 北海道大學 . 15 . 3 . 347–352.