Name: from Greek platos meaning wide and kodon meaning bell.
English: Chinese bellflower; Balloon flower.
Genus: 1 species.
Region: East Asia.
Korean: Doraji.
Use: ornamental; salads.
Culture: the pentagram is sometimes called the “Bellflower seal”; symbol of the Onmyoryo (Bureau of Taoist Geomancy); associations with Abe no Seimei and the Five Chinese Elements; manga and anime series Bleach, the insignia for the Fourth Division is the Bellflower; the meaning behind it is “Those who grieve are loved”.
Use: in Korea, root, fresh or dried, as vegetables, in bibimbap, in doraji-bap, soaking and washing, rubbing it with coarse sea salt to gets rid of the bitter taste; root as desserts, such as doraji-jeonggwa, for syrup, tea, liquor
Content: calcium, fiber, iron, minerals, proteins, vitamins
Medical: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, fever agent, reducing cholesterol, high blood pressure, weak immune systems, respiratory diseases, asthma.

Botany: perennial herb.