1. TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL SCIENCE
ASSIGNMENT ON “ ACROMUS CALAMUS”
SUBMITTED BY:
Bijay Yadav , roll no
Rabina Adhikari, roll no 27
Sumona Khanal , roll no 36
SUBMITTED TO: Jeevan Upreti
2. ACROMUS CALAMUS(BOJO PLANT)
English Name - Sweet Flag
, sway or muskrat root
Scientific Name – Acromus Calamus L.
It is a tall wetland monocot of the
family Acoraceae, in the genus Acorus.
Botanical Description
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Acorales
Family: Acoraceae
Genus: Acorus
Species: A. calamus
3. Description
It is a herbaceous perennial with aromatic rhizomes, 30-
100 cm tall. It consists of tufts of basal leaves that rise
from a spreading rhizome, flat, linear, distinct midrib,
wavy margin, spathe elongated similar in shape to the
leaves: flowers small, bisexual, yellowish, condensed on a
cylindrical spadix: fruit berry.
Flowering: April to June
Fruiting: June to July
4. ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
• Native to South - East Asia. (India), North America and
Europe
• India, Russia, Europe, Japan, China, Poland, Pakistan,
Rumania, Bosnia, Turkey, Nepal.
• Its Habitats include edges of small lakes, ponds and rivers,
marshes, swamps, and other wetlands.
Biological source:
The dried rhizomes of the plant are used. It contains not less than
1.5% of volatile oil.
5. Habitat:
marshy land, on the bank of river and ponds, edges of swamps,
moist places.
Uses:
• Despite safety concerns, calamus is used for gastrointestinal
(GI) problems including ulcers, inflammation of the stomach
lining (gastritis), intestinal gas (flatulence), upset stomach and
loss of appetite (anorexia).
6. • Some people chew calamus to remove the smell of
tobacco, as a stimulant, to increase their sense of
well-being, and as a hallucinogen.
• Some people apply calamus directly to the skin to
treat certain skin diseases.
• In foods, calamus is used as a spice.
• Calamus is also used as a calming medicine
(sedative), to induce sweating, and to treat
rheumatoid arthritis and stroke.
7. Rhizome: It is aromatic, up to 2.5 cm thick, purplish-
brown to light brown externally and white internally.
Leaves: Leaves are thick, erect and are very similar in
appearance to the iris but edges are crimped.
Flower: The flower is very rarely grown in this plant if
grown than it is 3-8 cm long, cylindrical in shape,
greenish brown in color and coverd with multitude of
rounded spikes.
Root: It consists of long creeping roots which spread out
below the surface of the soil.
Fruit: It is small and berry like c-diglucoside: chemical
constituents vary in ecotypes and containing few seeds.
8. Activity Active compound or extract
Anti fungal Essential oil, beta-asarone
Anti bacterial Essential oil, alpha-asarone,
beta-asarone
Anti-inflammatory Leaf extract, ethanolic extract
Anti oxidative Ethanolic extract, ethyl acetate
and methanolic extract
9. CULTIVATION AND COLLECTION
• Bojho is propagated through rhizomes. Rhizomes obtained
from earlier plants are kept preserved in the soi and
constantly kept in moist.
• After emergence the rhizomes are cut into small pieces and
are planted.
• Sprouted rhizomes pieces are planted at a spacing of 30*30
cm and depth of 4 cm in the month of July-August.
• The best time for planting is the second fortnight of June.
• Around 1,11,000 plants can be planted per ha.
10. • As the plant growth rate is very fast the sprouts are visible on
the second day of planting.
• After 6-8 months, in December, the lower leaves turn yellow
and dry indicating their maturity.
• The field should be partially dried only leaving sufficient
moisture for uprooting the plant.
• In case of large scale cultivation rhizomes may be removed by
passing the plough.
11. Harvesting
• Plant starts yielding by 6-8 months after sowing.
• Harvesting is done when the lower leaves dry and turns yellow
in color as it indicates its maturity.
• Before harvesting the field should be partially dried so that
digging will be easier.
Post harvest
• After harvesting, cleaning is done.
• After cleaning rhizomes are cut unto 5-7.5 cm of size.
• Then rhizomes are air dried and are beaten and rubbed.
12. • Then rhizomes are air dried and are beaten and rubbed.
• The rubbing is done 2-3 times.
• After rubbing, packing is done for transportation.
• The useful products are made by processing such as extract,
oil, powder etc.
