Łódź, Park Źródliska

Native to Japan but cultivated all over the world. Edible plant - young leaves cooked; seeds cooked, it can be dried, ground into a flour and used as a gruel, the starch is extracted and eaten. Useful plant - saponins in the seed are a soap substitute, the saponins can be easily obtained by chopping the seed into small pieces and infusing them in hot water, this water can then be used for washing the body, clothes etc; wood weak, nicely grained. Used for house fittings, domestic items etc.