Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao (Vol. 2) (1848) - Page 16

Page Seven

Illustrated Investigation of Plant Names and Realities

Mountain Mung Bean

According to the Famine Relief Herbal original: Jiu Huang Ben Cao; a famous Ming Dynasty text dedicated to identifying plants that could be eaten during crop failures, the Mountain Mung Bean grows in the wilderness of Chexiangya, located in the Taihang Mountains of Hui County Hui County is in modern-day Henan Province, China. The sprouts and stems resemble those of the common domestic mung bean, though the stems are more slender and the leaves are narrower and more constricted. The plant spreads across the ground, blooming with white flowers and producing seed pods that are thin and small. The beans themselves are a dark, blackish-green color 黶綠 (yǎnlǜ): a deep, blackened green similar to the color of a dark ink or a mole and possess a sweet flavor. To prepare them, one may gather the beans to boil and eat, or grind them into flour to make pancakes; both methods are suitable for consumption.

Chinese Term	English Translation	Explanation
山菉豆	Mountain Mung Bean	A wild relative of the common mung bean (Vigna radiata).
救荒本草	Famine Relief Herbal	An essential historical manual for survival botany.
輝縣	Hui County	A region in Henan known for the Taihang mountain range.
太行山	Taihang Mountains	A major mountain range in northern China.
車箱衙	Chexiangya	A specific local place name within the Taihang range.
苗莖	Sprouts and Stems	Refers to the early growth and the supporting structure of the plant.
黶綠	Blackish-green	A specific color descriptor for the dark skin of the wild bean.
磨麪	Grind into flour	The process of milling dried beans into a meal for cooking.