Illustrated Investigation of Plant Names and Realities

Moon Bud Tree

The Herbal for Famine Relief Original: Jiuhuang Bencao. A Ming Dynasty manual for identifying edible wild plants to survive food shortages. states that the Moon Bud Tree is also known as the Sprouting Bud Original: Xunya. The character Xun refers to the budding of plants or the tip of a new sprout.. It grows in the midst of fields and wilderness.

Its stems resemble the branches of the Pagoda Tree Huai (Sophora japonica); a common deciduous tree in East Asia with distinct green bark on young branches. Its leaves are similar to those of the Two-leaf Vetch Waitoucai (Vicia unijuga); a wild legume whose leaves grow in distinctive pairs, though they are slightly shorter and somewhat stiffer. They also resemble the Dogwood Bud Jiaya; referring to the edible young growth of Cornus walteri, the Walter’s Dogwood, though the leaf tips of the Moon Bud Tree are quite long.

The leaves grow in opposite pairs. Their flavor is sweet with a hint of bitterness. To prepare them for eating:

• Gather the tender leaves.
• Blanch zha; a traditional culinary technique of briefly boiling wild greens to soften the fibers and remove any unpleasant bitterness or toxins them until they are thoroughly cooked.
• Soak and rinse them clean in water.
• Season with oil and salt for consumption.