Chaste Tree

original: 牡荆 (Mǔ jīng); identified as Vitex negundo, commonly known as the Chinese Chaste Tree or Five-leaved Chaste Tree. It is a large aromatic shrub used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

Mǔ jīng (牡荆) The name literally translates to "Male Bramble," though it refers specifically to this species of Vitex. It is distinguished in classical texts from other "Jing" species by its specific leaf shape and medicinal potency.

[A full-page woodcut illustration occupies the center of the page. It depicts the Chaste Tree with several vertical stems. The leaves are shown in detail, exhibiting their characteristic serrated edges and palmate arrangement (multiple leaflets radiating from a single point). Small clusters of berries or flowers are visible at the terminal ends of the branches. At the base of the plant, a stylized garden rock and small tufts of grass are included, a standard aesthetic convention in Ming dynasty scientific illustration to represent the plant in a natural landscape.]