Korean barrenwort

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Korean barrenwort

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Epimedium grandiflorum var. koreanum
• Epimedium sempervirens var. coelestre
• Epimedium koreanum var. coelestre
• Epimedium grandiflorum var. coelestre
• Epimedium sempervirens var. leucanthus
• Epimedium sulphurellum
• Epimedium coelestre
• Epimedium cremeum
• Epimedium grandiflorum subsp. koreanum
• Epimedium musschianum var. multifoliolatum
• Epimedium multifoliolatum
• Epimedium sempervirens var. multifoliolatum

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, Epimedium koreanum, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. It is classified under the class Equisetopsida and the subclass Magnoliidae within the order Ranunculales. Finally, it is a member of the Berberidaceae family and falls under the genus Epimedium.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad distribution across several key regions within Eastern Asia. In the northernmost reaches of its range, it can be found in the Primorye region of the Russian Far East. Its presence extends significantly into China, spanning both the Manchuria and China Southeast territories. Furthermore, the species is widely distributed throughout the Korean Peninsula in Eastern Asia. Finally, its geographical footprint includes the islands of Japan, completing its reach across the Eastern Asian landscape.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Epimedium koreanum is characterized by its preference for forest habitats, where it thrives under the shaded conditions provided by various tree canopies. This species occupies a specific vertical niche within its environment, maintaining an elevational range that spans from a minimum of 400 m AMSL to a maximum of 1500 m AMSL. On average, the plant is found at a mean elevation of approximately 950 m AMSL, positioning it within mid-to-high altitude montane forest ecosystems.

Elevational range max:

1500 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

950 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

400 m AMSL

Habitat :

forest

Life history

The life history of Epimedium koreanum is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, meaning it persists through multiple growing seasons rather than completing its life cycle in a single year. As a long-lived herbaceous perennial, it establishes a robust root system that allows it to survive dormant periods during unfavorable conditions, emerging annually to produce new foliage and flowering stems. This perennial nature enables the plant to accumulate resources over several years, contributing to its stability within its natural habitat. Throughout its life cycle, it undergoes seasonal transformations, transitioning from vegetative growth to reproductive stages where it produces flowers, followed by seed production to ensure the propagation of future generations.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Epimedium koreanum is characterized by its growth form as a herb, exhibiting a non-woody structure. The plant typically reaches a height ranging from a minimum of 0.15 m to a maximum of 0.4 m, with an average plant height of approximately 0.275 m.

Growth form :

herb

Plant height max:

0.4 m

Plant height mean:

0.275 m

Plant height min:

0.15 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Epimedium koreanum is characterized by significant morphological variability in its foliage, which serves as the primary site for photosynthetic activity and metabolic processes. The leaf dimensions exhibit a broad spectrum of developmental stages and environmental adaptations, with leaf lengths ranging from a minimum of 3 cm to a maximum of 13 cm, maintaining a mean length of approximately 8 cm. Correspondingly, the leaf width demonstrates substantial plasticity, fluctuating from a minimum of 2 cm to a maximum of 8 cm, with an average width of 5 cm. This variation in surface area suggests a dynamic physiological capacity to regulate gas exchange and light interception, optimized through the structural scaling of its laminar tissue.

Leaf length max:

13 cm

Leaf length mean:

8 cm

Leaf length min:

3 cm

Leaf width max:

8 cm

Leaf width mean:

5 cm

Leaf width min:

2 cm

Reproduction

The reproduction of Epimedium koreanum is characterized by a specific flowering phenology and distinct morphological structures. The flowering period is highly variable, though it typically includes the month of April as a significant timeframe within its seasonal cycle. During the reproductive stage, the plant produces inflorescences that range in length from a minimum of 0.1 m to a maximum of 0.15 m. The individual flowers possess a notable size variation, with lengths measuring at least 2 cm and reaching up to a maximum of 4.5 cm. Following successful pollination, the plant develops fruits that exhibit a highly consistent morphology; the fruit length is uniform, maintaining a minimum, mean, and maximum value of 0.6 cm.

Flower length max:

4.5 cm

Flower length min:

2 cm

Flowering time :

Apr

Fruit length max:

0.6 cm

Inflorescence length max:

0.15 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.1 m

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Epimedium koreanum has 17 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Icariin, Epimedokoreanin B, Flavonoids, 8-Prenylkaempferol, Baohuoside I.

Icariin

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
2. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
3. Planta medica
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
5. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Epimedokoreanin B

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica

Flavonoids

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Genes

8-Prenylkaempferol

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Baohuoside I

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Baohuoside II

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Caohuoside B

1. Phytochemistry

Epimedin A

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Epimedin B

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Epimedin C

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Activities

Epimedium koreanum has 3 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antiplatelet, Antithrombotic, Antitumor.

Antiplatelet

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Antithrombotic

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Antitumor

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Conditions

Epimedium koreanum has 8 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include osteoporosis, Multiple myeloma, aging, arrhythmia, cardiovascular diseases.

Osteoporosis

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Journal of Asian natural products research

Multiple myeloma

1. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica

Aging

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Arrhythmia

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Cardiovascular diseases

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Hematological malignancy

1. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica

Impotence

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Thrombosis

1. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM

Preparations

Epimedium koreanum has 5 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Epimedokoreanin B, Methanolic extracts, ethyl acetate extract of the aerial part, heating process, traditional Chinese tonic medicine.

Epimedokoreanin b

1. Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica

Methanolic extracts

1. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology

Ethyl acetate extract of the aerial part

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Heating process

1. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Traditional chinese tonic medicine

1. Frontiers in microbiology