Species Two known species: Crossostephium chinense (L.) Makino, Compositae, and; Atriplex maximowcziana Makino, Chenopodiaceae.
Appearance Compositae Sealavender: perennial herbs or subshrubs, with multiple offshoots shaped like a ball. The plant is covered entirely by grayish white floss, aromatic. The leaves are entire to lobed, spoon-like or egg-like cuneiform shaped. The genus is in ball-like capitulum, or raceme in which floral meristem grows upward; flower heads are all yellow tube-like structure. Achenes are in long, oval shape.
Chenopodiaceae (Atriplex maximowcziana Makino): stem grows horizontally covering the ground, with multiple offshoots, covered by taupe scale-like floss; 30~50 in length, a bit ribbed small shoots. Opposite or alternate leaves, with short axis, in oval or egg-like oval shape, entire, thin, grayish white scale-like floss on both sides, 2~4cm long and 1~2.5cm broad; basal cuneiform, obtuse. There are 5 stamens in a staminate flower. Female flowers are smaller, with 2 persistent bracts; coalescent utricle, in triangle-like broad egg shape, 2 or 3 slits on two sides, length and broad of bracts are approx. 6~9mm. Fruiting utricles with persistent perianths and 2 bracts. Seeds are puce or black in color.
Production Compositae Sealavender is the species cultivated under assistance provided by the Institute. Normally it is required to sow and raise seedling and then transplanted in cultivation garden. All promotional cultivation seedlings for farmers are provided free of charge by the Institute.
Atriplex maximowcziana Makino is a species cultivated by farmers in Shanxi or Xiyuan with direct seeding or division propagation.
Features
Both are used to relieve rheumatic pains and eczema and treat rheumatisms. They are normally used in combination with glycine tomentella hayata and 一條龍; finished product include The Root products.