Page Five

Grains, Volume 2

Xuan? Gou? says the fruit's instruction is fragrant? This marginal note appears to be a citation or a comment on the plant's aromatic properties, though the specific authority "Xuan Gou" is unclear in this context.

Mountain Black Bean

original: 山黑豆 (Shan Hei Dou). In historical Chinese botanical texts, this term typically refers to wild species of the legume family (Fabaceae), such as wild soybeans or similar climbing pulses, which were vital as "famine foods" when traditional harvests failed.

[Illustration: A sophisticated botanical woodcut of the Mountain Black Bean plant. The image displays a robust root system giving rise to a climbing vine. The leaves are trifoliate (arranged in groups of three), a diagnostic feature of the bean family. Small, pea-like flowers are shown in clusters, leading to elongated seed pods that contain the individual beans. Such detailed illustrations were essential for distinguishing edible wild plants from toxic look-alikes.]

This entry marks a transition into the study of pulses—beans and peas—which pre-modern Chinese agriculturalists categorized under "Grains" due to their role as a primary caloric staple.