Astilbe chinensis (Chinese astilbe) is a plant in the saxifrage family, Saxifragaceae. Astilbe chinensis is a herbaceous plant with alternate, pinnately compound leaves, on thin stems. The flowers are purple, borne in summer. The plant prefers full sun and is planted in moist clay soils.
Astilbe chinensis is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.7 m (2ft 4in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
A new compound, 11-O-(3'-O-methylgalloyl)-bergenin (1), along with 11 known compounds (2-12), has been isolated from the rhizome of Astilbe chinensis. The chemical structure of compound 1 was determined by IR, MS, and NMR spectral data. All compounds were evaluated for the cytotoxic activity in vitro, and compound 4 showed a moderate cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells.