Wan Nian Qing

Rohdea japonica is an evergreen rhizomatous perennial of the Asparagaceae family (formerly Liliaceae or Convallariaceae), native to forested slopes of China, Korea, and Japan. The plant forms a basal tuft of thick, leathery, dark-green strap-shaped leaves arising directly from a short, stout, creeping rhizome; the leaves are arching, parallel-veined, and persist year-round. From the center of the rosette a short, dense spike of small fleshy bell-shaped flowers emerges in summer, almost hidden among the foliage. The flowers give rise to clustered, bright red berries that ripen in autumn and persist into winter, a feature that has long made the plant a prized ornamental in East Asian gardens and bonsai culture.