Vietnamese dangshen

Vietnamese dangshen

Vietnamese dangshen
Order	Asterales
Family	Campanulaceae
Genus	Codonopsis
Scientific name (Species)	Codonopsis javanica (Blume) Hook.f. & Thomson, 1855

The Vietnamese dangshen (Codonopsis javanica) is a perennial species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae. It is native to Vietnam as well as many other parts of Asia, where it grows in forests, meadows, and scrub.

In traditional Vietnamese and Chinese medicine, the root of Codonopsis pilosula (Vietnamese: đẳng sâm, Chinese:党参/Dǎngshēn) is used as a medicinal herb. In Vietnam, Codonopsis javanica is known as đẳng sâm, or as đẳng sâm nam (southern dangshen) to differentiate the two species. Other local names include sâm dây (vine ginseng).

Descripttion

The crossbill is small (14 - 20 cm; 23 - 53 g) with a large head, a round body, short legs, and a pointed tail; The large and wide bill is easily identifiable with the twisted beaks. Males have brick-red to orange-red plumage on the head, and black underbelly, wings and hips and tail feathers. Females have olive to yellow-green feathers, grayish head and face, and bright green hips.

In Vietnam, the Vietnamese crossbill is distributed in Langbiang biosphere reserve; this species lives in the habitat of the three-leaf pine woods (Pinus kesiya).