General Table of Illustrations for Plants

Sweet Potato

The Sweet Potato is detailed in the Flora of the Southern Regions original: "Nanfang Caomu Zhuang," a 4th-century botanical work. It is also known as the "Foreign Tuber" original: "Fan Shu" (番藷). The prefix "Fan" indicates its introduction from overseas, likely the Philippines.. It was first included in the "Vegetables" section of the Compendium of Materia Medica original: "Bencao Gangmu" by Li Shizhen, 1596. In recent times, it has been planted very extensively. People living in the mountains rely on it as a staple grain, though occasionally it is prepared as a side vegetable.

In Nan'an A region in Fujian Province, some plants flower in the middle of the tenth month. The flowers are shaped like those of the bindweed original: "Xuanhua," referring to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae.

Furthermore, the Gazetteer of Zunyi Prefecture records a wild variety locally known as the "Thatch Dog Tuber." There are those who process this variety to deceptively pass it off as Chinese Yam term: "Shanyao" (Dioscorea polystachya), a more expensive medicinal tuber. During years of famine, people harvest these tubers to make dried provisions.

According to the Flora of the Southern Regions, the sweet potato originated in Wuping, Jiaozhi, and ancient Jiuzhen Regions in modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China. This would suggest it has been a product of the Chinese regions for a long time. However, the Book of Fujian original: "Min Shu" claims it originated from Luzon The Philippines in the Western Ocean, and that Chinese travelers took cuttings of the vine to bring back to Fujian. Why is there such a discrepancy?

The Gazetteer of Haicheng County records that when Yu Yinggui served as Magistrate, he was particularly fond of the "foreign tuber." He sometimes ate them without even removing the skin; because of this, they acquired the name "Foreign Tuber" a play on the Magistrate's status and the plant's exotic origins.

Today, there are two varieties, red and white, both of which are sweet and delicious in flavor. They are particularly abundant in the high, dry lands near Dongting Lake in Hunan. Displaced people original: "Liumin," refugees or migrants fleeing disaster dig up the leftover tubers; because of this, they suffer no famine during the winter months. Xu Guangqi A famous Ming Dynasty scholar and scientist wrote the Treatise on the Sweet Potato with the earnest and heartfelt words of a benevolent man; it is a pity that... The text likely laments that Xu's promotion of the crop was not even more widely adopted earlier.