Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao (Vol. 2)

Black? ta-ko? its? office? ra? These are likely Japanese phonetic glosses (katakana) or shorthand annotations added to the Chinese text to assist Japanese scholars in identification or pronunciation. Bitter Horse Bean Grains, Volume Two

Bitter Horse Bean

Scientific name: Sphaerophysa salsula. This plant is a perennial legume known for its ability to thrive in harsh, salty, and alkaline soils.

The woodcut illustration depicts the Bitter Horse Bean, a plant characterized by its pinnately compound leaves—where multiple small leaflets grow along a single leaf-stalk—and its very distinctive seed pods. These pods are notably inflated and bladder-like, a key identifying feature used by historical botanists to distinguish this species from other wild beans.

As part of the 穀類 (gǔlèi): the category of grains, beans, and cereals, it occupies a place in the second volume of this collection. Though listed among grains, its name "Bitter" suggests it was perhaps less favored as a primary food source compared to the sweet Mountain Mung Bean, or required specific preparation to remove its bitterness.