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Polygonatum odoratum

species of plant

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ157430 ↗
Source-derived summary

Polygonatum odoratum (syn. P. officinale), the angular Solomon's seal or scented Solomon's seal, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Russian Far East, China, Mongolia, Korea, Nepal and Japan. In the United Kingdom it is one of three native species of the genus, the others being P. multiflorum and P. verticillatum.

The genus name Polygonatum comes from the Greek words "poly", meaning "many", and "gonu", meaning "knee joint". This is in reference to the plant's jointed rhizomes. The Latin specific epithet odoratum means "scented".

Description

Polygonatum odoratum is a colonizing herbaceous perennial growing to 85 cm (33 in) tall by 30 cm (12 in) wide, with alternate, simple leaves on arching stems. The scented tubular flowers are white with green tips, borne in spring and hanging from the underside of the stems.

Its fruit persists for an average of 68.4 days, and bears an average of 2.6 seeds per fruit. Fruits average 80.9% water, and their dry weight includes 21.9% carbohydrates and 1.7% lipids.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Polygonatum odoratum” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Polygonatum, odoratum and species.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current 174-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Polygonatum, odoratum and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Polygonatum odoratum”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q157430. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Polygonatum odoratum”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Polygonatum odoratum primary sources, Polygonatum odoratum archive and Polygonatum research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Polygonatum odoratum”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Polygonatum odoratum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.