Dragon Cypress Buds

original: "龍柏芽" (Lóngbǎiyá). Literally "Dragon Cypress Buds." Despite the name, the botanical description suggests a deciduous tree rather than a true cypress.

According to the Famine Relief Herbaloriginal: "救荒本草" (Jiù Huāng Běncǎo). This influential manual was compiled by Zhu Xiao, the Prince of Zhou, in 1406. It illustrated and described 414 plants to help people identify edible wild flora during times of natural disaster., Dragon Cypress Buds are found in Ma’an Mountain within Nanyang PrefectureA historic administrative region in southern Henan Province..

This tree grows quite large over time. Its leaves resemble those of a newly sprouted oakoriginal: "櫟" (lì). This likely refers to the Sawtooth Oak (Quercus variabilis), which has distinct serrated leaves common in this region.; however, the leaflets of this tree are smaller and shorter.

The flavor of the plant is slightly bitter. To prepare them for eating:
1. Gather the buds and leaves and scald them until cookedoriginal: "煠熟" (yè shú). A common technique in Chinese survival cooking where greens are blanched in boiling water to remove toxins or harsh flavors..
2. Change the water, then soak and rinse the leaves until they are clean.
3. Season with oil and salt to serve.