It is known by the common names palm grass, whale back, and weevil lily,[2] and by various synonyms, including Molineria capitulata.

[1] It ranges from the Himalayas and eastern India through Indochina, southern China, Malesia, and New Guinea to Queensland and the Solomon Islands.

In China and India, the plant has traditional uses as medicine to treat diseases[3] such as hemorrhoids, asthma, and consumptive cough.

In Southeast Asia, the plant is also used as food wrapping and the fibres are used to make fishing nets, ropes and false hair.

In recent studies, M. capitulata was also found to have potential in treating several chronic diseases due to its high antifungal, antioxidant, cytotoxic, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities.

Leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate shaped to sublong with pointed tips and with a surface pleated lengthwise.

Curculigo capitulata is native to South Asia,[2] in countries such as India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal through Southeast to Southern China, Taiwan, East Himalayas and northern Australia.

The plant requires well drained, damp soils rich in organic matter, slightly acidic in pH.

Additionally, the hill people of Camarine in Luzon, Philippines also make false hair using these fibres.

[3] It is widely used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine to treat severe chronic disease, rheumatic arthritis, nephritis, urinary tract infection, colic, asthma, jaundice, spermatorrhoea, consumptive cough, impotence, kidney asemia, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, and gonorrhea.

[3] It is also used in traditional Dai medicine to treat urinary tract infection, acute renal pelvis and phrenitis, nephritis-edema, cystitis, nephrolithiasis, hypertension and rheumatic arthritis.

The extract from the plant also displays inhibition of protein denaturation (500 μg/mL), indicating ability to prevent blood clotting.

[14] A recent experiment[5] also shows the roots of the species have antifungal activatity against Fusarium oxysportium f. sp.

Furthermore, the essential oil extracted from the fruit of Curculigo capitulata are also found to have antibacterial and antifungal activities.

The species can be used for massed borders as soil cover at the base of large trees as it can accommodate shaded conditions.

[7] Curculigo capitulata has spread from Eastern Asia worldwide as it has been introduced globally as an ornamental plant.

Despite being good at flowering, seeds are rarely produced, and a plant takes 4–10 years to reach maturity.

These factors combined with its attractiveness to browsing animals mean the plant has a low risk of reducing biodiversity.

Curculigo capitulata is not classified as a weed or invasive species in most countries such as South Africa.

Monitoring of naturalized population of the species is advised in Hawaii with probable consideration for phasing it out of the sale stock of endorsed nurseries.

Though rare, reproduction by seeds of the species occurs in draining organic loam with a humid environment and temperature around 24 to 26 degrees Celsius.

[2] Though the plants are rarely bothered by most diseases, leaf spots and blights can occur on the leaves of Curculigo capitulata.