Cistanche deserticola Ma cultivated as a new crop in China

Cistanche deserticola Ma (Orobanchaceae) is known in Chinese as Rou cong rong, considered as an endangered wild species and adapted to arid or semi-arid areas. This species is traditionally used in China and Japan as a tonic. It has been found as a new cultivated plant in several plantations in northwestern China over the past decade. The objective of this study was to introduce the new crop plant to the world. Information on taxonomy, distribution, cultivation, genetic diversity etc. is reported in this paper. The crop may be of interest for regions, where the rainfall is low and the soil desertification is serious.