The starches separated from five different medicinal plants-Fritillaria (Fritillaria thunbergii Miq., Fritillaria ussurensis Maxim., Fritillaria pallidifloca Schrenk, Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don and F hupehensis Hsiao et K.C. Hsia) were investigated for morphological, thermal, crystal, swelling power, solubility and water-binding capacity properties. The thunbergii E and ussurensis F starches had a granule size ranging between 5 and 30 pm and the shape of the granules was oval and elliptic, while the other Fritillaria starches had the granule size from 5 to 40 mu m and the granule shape varied from oval to irregular or cuboidal. The transition temperatures and enthalpy of gelatinization (AH(gel)) were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Cirrhosa F starch showed the highest Delta H-gel values (9.18 J/g) while hitpehensis F starch showed the lowest values (5.90 J/g). All Fritillaria starches showed a typical B-type pattern with the degree of crystallinity of between 43.8% and 52.3%. Cirrhosa F starch had the highest swelling power and the lowest solubility while the values for hupehensis F. starch were contrary. Hupehensis F starch showed the highest water binding capacity and it was the lowest for pallidifloca F. starch. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.