Muzi (Finger Millet)

The Materia Medica for Famine Relief original: "救荒本草" (Jiùhuāng Běncǎo), a 15th-century guide to edible wild plants for survival during famine states that the Muzi The Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana) grows in paddy fields and damp ground. Its seedlings and leaves resemble those of rice, though they are somewhat shorter. At the tip of the stalk, it produces seed heads that look like barnyard millet. The seeds themselves are about the size of broomcorn millet grains and are a brownish-red color with a sweet flavor. To prepare it, one harvests the seeds, pounds them into grain to cook as porridge, or grinds them into flour for steaming into bread.

In the mountains of Guizhou, many people plant "Eagle-Claw Barnyard Millet," which is also called Muzi. In Yunnan, it is known as "Duck-Palm Barnyard Millet." It is quite similar to what farmers call "Muzi-millet." Upon examining the botanical records, one sees that the seed heads emerge in clusters of varying lengths, like a hand with large and small fingers; perhaps this is why it earned the name Cancan original: "穇穇" (cǎncǎn), an onomatopoeic or descriptive name for Finger Millet in various dialects?

According to the Enlarged Register of the Fragrant Flowers original: "廣羣芳譜" (Guǎng Qúnfāng Pǔ), it is also called "Dragon-Claw Millet" or "Duck-Claw Barnyard Millet." In the northern regions, it is planted on wild slopes. The seedlings and leaves resemble foxtail millet. When it reaches its full height, a three-sided stalk emerges from the neck of the plant, blooming with clusters of tiny flowers. The seed heads then split into several branches shaped exactly like an eagle's claw; the description is exceptionally vivid.

The Rizhao County Gazetteer notes that Muzi is considered the lowliest of the millets. It comes in two varieties, black and white, and is well-suited for wet soil. One picul a traditional dry measure of volume of the unrefined grain yields about two dou roughly 20 liters of edible rice. The common people rely on this crop for their very survival. Furthermore, the Three Gorges Gazetteer claims the plant originated in Yunnan and calls it the "Cloud..." The text cuts off here, likely referring to "Cloud Millet" or a similar regional name.