Illustrated Investigation of Plant Names and Realities

Chickweed

Chickweed original: 繁縷, fánlǚ is listed in the Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians original: 別錄, Biélù; a 3rd-century pharmaceutical text as a "lower-grade" herb. In the Erya original: 爾雅; the oldest surviving Chinese dictionary, it is referred to by the names jiān, fù, and huò; the commentary explains that these refer to what we now call Chickweed. Some call it Chicken-Intestine Grass original: 雞腸草, jīcháng cǎo. The Tang Dynasty Herbal followed this tradition without deviation.

Li Shizhen The famous Ming dynasty pharmacologist (1518–1593) believed this plant was actually Goose-Intestine Grass original: 鵝兒腸, é'ér cháng and not "Chicken-Intestine." Today, it is found in great abundance in extremely damp and shady places.

The Farmer of Yulou The pseudonym of the author, Wu Qijun says: When I first arrived in Dian original: 滇; an ancient name for Yunnan Province, I saw people selling "Goose-Intestine Vegetable" in the market. I found this very strange. I had thought of this plant as it exists in the regions of the Yangtze and Xiang Rivers, where it fills every gap in the masonry and chokes the ditches, its tangled threads and twisting vines so thick that they cannot be cleared away even with constant weeding.

However, when I walked through my own garden in Yunnan, I could not find a single specimen. I ordered the gardeners to plant some in the garden beds, but even then it did not grow very lushly. Only then did I realize that in the Yunnan region, Chickweed is sold in markets precisely because it is scarce original: 尠, xiǎn. Li Shizhen believed it was a plant that propagated and grew with great ease, which is why it was nicknamed "Nourishing Grass"—but this is clearly not the case everywhere.

Beyond the city walls of Yunnan, the land is entirely composed of well-tended farm fields, and one finds no "miscellaneous" weeds or wild trees. Yet, the mountain flowers that can be worn in the hair or arranged in vases; the wild grasses that can be used for medicine or in ritual baths; and the roots, seeds, fruits, and vegetables that can be eaten or appreciated for their beauty—all of these are gathered by the locals and carried into the city markets. Therefore, without even stepping out of one's own courtyard, the botanical treasures of the four seasons are laid out for display upon one's side tables original: 几案, jī'àn.