Shan Ci Gu

Cremastra appendiculata is a terrestrial orchid of the family Orchidaceae, native to forested slopes and shaded ravines in China, Korea, Japan, and the Himalayas. It produces clustered, ovoid to conical pseudobulbs at or near the soil surface, each bearing one to two long, narrowly elliptic, plicate leaves. In late spring an erect raceme up to 60 cm tall arises from the base, carrying numerous slender, drooping, pinkish-purple to brownish flowers with elongated sepals and petals. The pseudobulbs, harvested in summer or autumn after the aerial parts wither, are the medicinal portion; they are pale, hard, and contain colchicine-related alkaloids and glucomannans. The species is slow-growing and listed on CITES Appendix II, with most material in commerce traditionally wild-collected.