Plant Collectors' Notebooks 採集人野帳 - Taiwan's First Botanical Themed Comic
Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata （Kew's Herbarium)
No 001 p50 -60
Rhododendron kanehirai Wilson (Kew's Herbarium)
No 003 p147
Taiwan by 1930s
This post is prepared for The Economic Botany Collection at Kew to explain the reasoning and context behind my donation (on behalf of Gaea Books Co.) of a series of botanical-themed comic books.
Background (Botanical and Colonial History)
Taipei Nursery was first built in 1896 during the Japanese colonial period. It was later expanded and renamed Taipei Botanical Garden in 1921 and became the first botanical garden in Taiwan. In 1924, the construction of Taiwan's oldest and most complete herbarium was completed. In 1930, there were 1,129 species in the garden, serving largely academic research and natural sciences.
In 1903 the French priest Urbain Jean Faurie came to Taiwan for the first time and collected large numbers of Taiwanese plants, many of which he sent to the West, giving the world a glimpse of Taiwan’s botanical diversity. Later, Japanese botanist Bunzō Hayata 早田 文藏 identified and named more than 1600 species of Taiwanese flora. In 1935, The Herbarium House (a major feature at "The Taiwan Exposition : In Commemoration of the First Forty Years of Colonial Rule") was a success. Taiwan’s plant life has since been part of the global botanical community.
Plant Collectors' Notebooks 採集人野帳 Series (Gaea Books Co.) will be completed with five volumes - three of which have been published in 2022.
In 1903 the French priest Urbain Jean Faurie came to Taiwan for the first time and collected large numbers of Taiwanese plants, many of which he sent to the West, giving the world a glimpse of Taiwan’s botanical diversity. Later, Japanese botanist Bunzō Hayata 早田 文藏 identified and named more than 1600 species of Taiwanese flora. In 1935, The Herbarium House (a major feature at "The Taiwan Exposition : In Commemoration of the First Forty Years of Colonial Rule") was a success. Taiwan’s plant life has since been part of the global botanical community.
Plant Collectors' Notebooks 採集人野帳 Series (Gaea Books Co.) will be completed with five volumes - three of which have been published in 2022.
Plant Collectors' Notebooks 採集人野帳 Series (Gaea Books Co.) will be completed with five volumes - three of which have been published in 2022.
(Blogger's Texts In Green)
VOLUME I Taishō era (大正 )Taiwan - Golden era of indigenous plants discovery
An important research area after WWI - Syuniti Sasaki was appointed to investigate and research, about a decade after his arrival in 1906.
臺灣藥用植物調查報告書 (Taiwan medicinal plants research reports) 1919
綱要臺灣民間藥用植物誌 (Utilization of Folk Medicinal Plants Compendium) 1924
台灣植物名彙 (List of Plants of
Formosa) 1928
臺灣林業部腊葉館目錄 (A Catalogue of
the Government Herbarium) 1930
No 000 1924 Spring
A herbal house at Twatutia (Dadaocheng) Taipei, team (led by Syuniti-Sasaki) exploring new plant species.
No 001
The Herbarium at Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taipei Botanical Garden - The Herbarium building layout design, the process of preserving and recording plant specimens. Fire destruction in 1905.
- p52 Fagus longipetiolata ，Chionanthus retusus，Davallia mariesii
The Herbarium at Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taipei Botanical Garden - The Herbarium building layout design, the process of preserving and recording plant specimens. Fire destruction in 1905.
- p52 Fagus longipetiolata ，Chionanthus retusus，Davallia mariesii
- p56 Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata. This tree is the only plant that uses "Taiwan" as its genus in the kingdom. ("On Taiwania, a New Genus of Coniferae from the Island of Formosa" 1906 Bunzō Hayata. Male tassels first collected in 1911).
- p83 Brief history of The Herbarium. Starting with 1854 Scottish botanist Robert Fortune. Development from 1905 fire to 1908 new building. 1920 migration experience of Ozaki Kouko 尾崎孝子 (poet and singer) . 1924 Completion of the first Herbarium house in Taiwan.
No 002
Finding and identifying Anoectochilus roxburghii hayata (Jewel Orchid).
- p110 Identify by slightly bitter taste of leave flower.
- p115 Brief history, botanical studies and contributions of Syuniti-Sasaki in Taiwan.
No 003
Flora of Formosa. Herbarium Government of Formosa. Department of Forestry, Government Research Institute.
Based on Ryōzō Kanehira 金平亮三 botanical expedition and 20-years forestry research and foundation work in Taiwan.
"Anatomical characters and identification of Formosan woods with critical remarks from the climatic point of view " Government of Formosa, 1921 by Ryōzō Kanehira.
- p130 Herbarium team includes plant collector, botanical illustrator. Kits, tools and methods for collecting, preserving, recording.
- p140 Medicinal plants and plant specimens differences in terms of collecting technique and approach - using examples such as Pteris Multifidae Herba and Syzygium samarangense .
- p147 Rhododendron kanehirai Wilson (Wulai Rhododendron commonly known in Taiwan. Wulai is a mountainous district in northern Taiwan known for its hot spring)
- p147 Rhododendron kanehirai Wilson (Wulai Rhododendron commonly known in Taiwan. Wulai is a mountainous district in northern Taiwan known for its hot spring)
No 004
- p160
Challenges of collecting Mulberry mistletoe specimen. Using firearms (not
uncommon practice) to shoot off specimens.
Experiences with mountain villagers discovering 霧草 (Artemisia schmidtiana ?), Cirsium brevicaule.
- p187 The importance of scientific names of plant.
- p187 The importance of scientific names of plant.
- p201-203 Based on Kanehira article - Plant collector's kits, note-keeping, pressing and drying preservation procedures. Using 1905 Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum Hayata specimen（Jade mountain rhododendron commonly known in Taiwan) to explain.
No 005
- p208-212 Detailed illustrations of step-by-step process into Notebooks (cutting, sizing, pressing, drying, roasting if necessary, labeling and binding). Shitake mushrooms are wet specimen, but The Herbarium did not store mushroom specimen.
- p218 - p254 papaver somniferum (opium poppy) field, cultivation, village intruders and illegal trades in remote villages.
- p237 Datura stramonium is poisonous. (commonly refereed to as la-ba-hua - aka Ipomoea nil in Taiwan.)
- p253 Japanese opium policy in Taiwan. Description of making 'opium paste' 鴉片膏.
- p254 Opium source and quality (international) and classifications. Japanese 1917 opium cultivation covered Taipei, Taichung, Nantou etc.
VOLUME II - Botanic journey a century ago, collectors' trail and spirit
- p9 Crossostephium chinense bonsai
No 006
- p38 Based on Takiya Kawakami 川上瀧彌 works.
General Index to the flora of Formosa ,1920s. As a foundation for beginners.
- p39 Relocating plant specimen
collections from The Botany Department of National Taiwan Museum to the newly constructed The Herbarium. Takiya Kawakami was the museum’s (established in 1908, the oldest museum in Taiwan) first director, died in 1915 during his term.
- p59 Brief history of National Taiwan Museum - Established in 1908, the
oldest museum in Taiwan. The Japanese government wanted to commemorate the
opening of the west coast railway and so established the Taiwan Governor Museum
on October 24, 1908. In 1913, funds were collected to build the
Governor-General Kodama Gentaro and Chief Civil Administrator Goto Shinpei
Memorial Museum at current site. In 1915, the
museum was completed. With its Greek temple
facade and Pantheon-like vaulted ceiling, the museum was constructed in
classical style
- p60 With Takiya Kawakami's sudden passing in 1915, Syuniti Sasaki 佐佐木舜一 and Ryōzō Kanehira 金平亮三 played the paramount role in establishing and completing The Herbarium.
No 007
- p62 Managing in typhoon season (May to November in Taiwan)
- p65 Setaria palmifolia (Koen.) Stapf (Commonly known Typhoon Leaf in Taiwan) grown on Niitakayama (New High Mountain) (Jade Mt today).
- p74 Unpleasant plant name - Canavalia lineata (Thunb. ex Murray) DC. （肥豬豆 - fat-pig bean). Momordica cochinchinensis (狗尿瓜. Dog-pee gourd) Ruta graveolens L. (臭草 Stinky leaf)
- p75 Tetrapanax papyrifer (Hook) L.Koch (the first plant in Taiwan to be given a scientific name). (Plant name existed in several indigenous languages. It was one of the golden-treasures of Taiwan indigenes during Japanese rules.) (Note - worth checking pith-paper source of your tea process set- source may have been Taiwan, sent to China to process)
-p76 Reading plant name - Ione sasakii Hayata - by acknowledging botanist contributions.
玉山櫻草 Primula miyabeana T. Itô & Kawak.
乳藤 Ecdysanthera utilis Hayata & Kawak.
鱗瓦葦 Lepisorus kawakamii (Hayata) Tagawa
川上氏肋毛蕨 Ctenitis kawakamii (Hayata) Ching
川上氏雙蓋蕨 Diplazium kawakamii Hayata
台灣冷杉 Abies kawakamii (Hayata) Tak. Itô
台灣寶鐸花 Disporum kawakamii Hayata
川上氏鴨舌疝 Belosynapsis kawakamii (Hayata) C. I Peng & Y. J. Chen
川上短柄草 Brachypodium kawakamii Hayata
川上氏月桃 Alpinia shimadae Hayata var. kawakamii (Hayata) J. J. Yang & J. C. Wang
恆春風藤 Piper kawakamii Hayata
台灣小檗 Berberis kawakamii Hayata
蘭嶼土沉香 Excoecaria kawakamii Hayata
大葉苦櫧 Castanopsis kawakamii Hayata
大葉石櫟 Pasania kawakamii (Hayata) Schottky
阿里山千金榆 Carpinus kawakamii Hayata
桑葉懸鉤子 Rubus kawakamii Hayata
尖葉楓 Acer kawakamii Koidz.
著生杜鵑 Rhododendron kawakamii Hayata
白桐 Paulownia kawakamii Ito
山艾 Artemisia kawakamii Hayata
玉山薊 Cirsium kawakamii Hayata
玉山山奶草 Codonopsis kawakamii Hayata
川上氏忍冬 Lonicera kawakamii (Hayata) Masam.
高山纈草 Valeriana kawakamii Hayata
川上氏堇菜 Viola formosana Hayata var. stenopetala (Hayata) J. C. Wang , T. C. Huang & T. Hashim.
- p 80 Botanical illustration analysis - such as observations, the purpose of black-and-white drawings, picking angles to present best features and details.
- p90 Preparing for typhoon, reducing damages - secure trees, remove rotten/dead branches, secure plant protection covers, protect green-house glass.
N0 008
- p106 Orchid Greenhouse. Orchid 'thieves'. Great orchid diversities in Taiwan.(endemic species as well as those found in neighboring countries)
- p108-113 Finding medicinal plants for treating, stabilizing asthma. Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze , Houttuynia cordata。
- p126 Selaginella tamariscina (Selaginella tamariscina is a traditional medicinal plant for treatment of some advanced cancers in East Asia) specimen collected by Syuniti-Sasaki and Takiya Kawakami. Kawakami's contributions once again mentioned.
- p130-131 Orchid history in Taiwan - Since Irish doctor Augustine Henry published 'A List of Plants from Formosa' based on large-scale plants collecting work in the years of 1892-1895.
Phalaenopsis represents Taiwan during Japanese Rule.
Âng-thâu-sū 紅頭嶼 frequented by orchid lovers in 1936 Japanese governor enforced bans of digging Phalaenopsis. In 1947 Phalaenopsis aphrodite won an award in Japan and Âng-thâu-sū changed its name to Lanyu meaning Orchid Island.
- p132 National Taiwan Museum Golden Year led by Takiya Kawakami. Who played a paramount role on Taiwan's botanical collections and archives. There are some 93 plants named under him.
- p135 Lagerstroemia indica （ticklish flower 怕養花 known in Taiwan.).
No 009
Plant collecting at Qixing (Seven Star) Mountain （located on the Datun Volcano Group and is the highest mountain in the whole Taipei city).
- p152 Seven Star Goddess offerings (on Lunar 7th of July) - milk caramel (Taiwanese favorite confectionery. 'Niitaka' founded in Taipei) , puff candy (Taiwanese took on the Scot name for honeycomb toffee), longan sweet soup (auspicious symbolism).
No 010
Plant collecting in Keelung
- p169 Arriving at Keelung port. Kandelia candel (L.) Druce （Taiwanese name 水筆仔 comes from its pencil-looking young tree standing in water).
- p176 Long gone the days when people could pan for gold along the banks of Keelung River.
- p178 Formerly 'Camphor Bay' (in today's New Taipei Xizhi district) and 'Camphor House/Hut' (Camphor-processing site ).
(Taiwanese name '樟腦‘ referring camphor crystal to brain cells)
- p180 Taiwan camphor industry includes smokeless gun powder and cadechol.
- p190 At Tsui-tng-ka (Old name of New Taipei Xizhi District) with a camphor-worker family of three generations. And cadechol new (German) magical treatment for cardiovascular diseases.
- p202 Bamboo flowering - a bad omen. A forests of bamboo separated by hundreds of kilometres flower simultaneously. Most bamboo plants flower only once in their life time, means they die after flowering .
No 011
- p204 -245 CADECHOL phenomenon woven into the storyline based on plant collectors experience with a camphor-worker family in northern Taiwan (1920-1930s).
- p246 Taiwan Camphor - Cadechol - and Nobel Prize.
- Camphor one of the three most important (other two tea and sugar) industries in Taiwan since 19th century - later Qing to Japanese eras.
- Etymology of Taiwanese use of the word 'brain' for camphor crystal. Brain a most complex and important body part.
- Taiwan's camphor trade and dispute - Qing control, William A Pickering conflicts, Japanese instituted a complete monopoly on camphor production in 1919.
- Camphor use from pharmaceutical, cooking, to industrial chemicals. Special mention extensive use of celluloid (plastic) since late 19th century. Heinrich Wieland is awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry for Cadechol - Taiwan being the camphor source.
- Lin Hsien-tang (politician and activist) mentioned injection of camphor oil to treat his heart conditions. Camphor brandy, camphor stimulant and related drugs seen regularly on Taiwan Daily News (the official newspaper with the longest publication time and largest circulation during Japanese-era).
- Taiwan camphor industry waned after WWI with the invention of synthetic camphor.
- p248 Bamboo flowering bad omen - Similar story in China and India. However, not all bamboo died after flowering ... Those told in the book in today's Xizhi area most likely Mokino (named after Tomitaro Makino) bamboo, reed bamboo, Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro (Taiwan Giant Bamboo), Bambusa oldhamii (Taiwan Green Bamboo) or such.
For Botanist (in the story) - bamboo flowering is a rare phenomenon and a good omen.
VOLUME III Discovery, collection and sorting, revisit Taiwan grand plant-naming era
No 012
Spring arrived. In preparation of 1925 Expo.
- p42 Enjoying ‘Taipei Specialty’ Yōkan (Japanese confection). MUST wash hands after handling specimens! They are processed with chemical - such as steamed with camphor granules and painted with mercuric chloride.
- p50 Picking from vegetable patch Perilla frutescens and Houttuynia cordata for cooking. (Plant such as these used for herbal medicine is called 'cao' (leaf/weed). Used for food is called 'cai' (vegetables) )
- p54 Bletilla formosana (Hayata) Schltr - roots ground and pound to heal wound. (despite the name, not limited to Taiwan but is also present in central China and even Tibet). Collecting and drying for specimens.
- p65 <Type Specimens> Photo - A variety of Taipei Botanical Garden Herbarium chops - from labelling, quality control, to monitoring procedures. <Pest Management> chemical and chloride to prevent insect-damage.
Taiwan Forestry Institute replaced the use of chemicals with freezing method to kill insect pests and their eggs in 2000. The Institute also collect herbarium glass plate negatives as old as 1917's.
No 013
"The Taiwan Exposition 1925 : In Commemoration of the First Thirty Years of Colonial Rule" underway. Expanded and prominent.
- p80 Sorting glass-plate-negatives - precious items such as rare plants and Niitakayama Mt landscape.
- p84 'Niitaka Confectionery' (Morihei Tarō 森平太郎 founded in Taipei in 1905. At mid1900s standard tin of Niitaka drop candy sold in Tokyo-Osaka-Taipei-Dalian).
- p96 Swietenia macrophylla King with a prominent wing. The magic of seed dispersal.
- p112 Swietenia macrophylla King was introduced to Taiwan in 1901 by Antei Tashiro's cultivating a small amount in Henchun (the southernmost township in Taiwan). Introduced again in 1919 and 1937 (by Syuniti Sasaki) . Also introduced to Taiwan was the less common Swietenia mahagoni with same prominent wing but smaller leaves.
Japan empire's 'Taiwan Southern Advanced Policy' had seen many tropical plants introduced from such as India and Singapore - E.g. Cocos nucifera , Bauhinia purpurea, Nerium oleander, Melaleuca leucadendra, Terminalia mantalyl. (some may have been introduced on more than one occasion through out the last century).
(Taiwan Southern Advanced Policy -1930s
Taiwan Go South Policy - 1994
New Taiwan Southbound Policy - 2016
'The New Southbound Policy' was introduced in 2016 under President Tsai Ing-wen that aims to enhance cooperation and exchange between Taiwan and 18 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australasia.)
- p113 1925 June 17-27. "The Taiwan Exposition 1925 : In Commemoration of the First Thirty Years of Colonial Rule" Opening Ceremony. Sites: 1. New Park (228 memorial today) 2. Taipei Botanical Garden 3. (Old) Governor-General Building 4. The Monopoly Bureau Building.
No 014
- p114 Site 2. Taipei Botanical Garden. Aircraft display at Site 3. Parades, celebration events, radio live stream - Taipei city in festive mood. First night firework display.
- p120 Rare plants room - Mitrastemon yamamotoi Makino var. kanehirai (Yamamoto) Makino ( a rare Taiwanese species. Only found in Nantou area. Conservation priority). Carnivorous plant （
Droseraceae Salisb.， Drosera indica，Lysimachia christinae Hance，Drosera spathulata Labill.）
- p126 Treasure Hunt by Forestry Research Institute. Stands showcasing Taiwan produce and specialty - such as cube sugar (p130 A model Governor-General building made of cube sugar is a fun game designed for young generation. ), *Hsinchu Prefecture eight-treasure-rice, Ichirokuken 一六軒 （founded in 1902 by Morihei Tarō 森平太郎), aboriginal women pounding millet and singing , as well as foreign firms..
*Hsinchu prefecture specialty eight-treasure-rice is in fact Japanese traditional Sekihan (red bean sticky rice).
- p134 Famous food includes - Railway Hotel 'Purin' (Japanese custard pudding), Ichirokuken for tea (and cake). The Herbarium Buildng was not opened to public during the expo, locked up to prevent trespassing. Millet mochi specialty from Eastern Taiwan.
- p155 Forestry Research Institute display forestry history and development - Alishan (Jiayi) a main feature. Folk medicinal plants specimens.
(Morihei Tarō 森平太郎, founder of two influential confectioneries in Taipei, can be seen a case that during Japan-eras there were Japanese came to Taiwan for promising job opportunity and potential better life.)
No 015
- p159, p185 A section is dedicated to high-altitude plants - e.g. Gentiana arisanensis Hayata （Taiwanese common name includes Alishan - although that's not where it distributes. The name came from specimen collected in Alishan by Hayata in 1933). Hevea brasiliensis - There are many rubber trees, but best quality is in Brazil. This rubber tree was borrowed from Chiayi (Southwest Taiwan).
- p164 American bullfrog - a stand at expo. (Introduced to Taiwan in 1924. Protein source and high economic value)
- p172 Latex allergy rash relief - cold compress.
- p176 Estimating age of tree - 1100 years by counting rings.
Amorphophallus hirtus with strong odor.
- p178 A bronze statue commemorating French priest and botanist Père Urbain Jean Faurie (in a corner at Taipei Botanical Garden).
(Plant species named in Faurie's honor include Papaver fauriei Fedde ex Miyabe & Tatew and Alnus fauriei H.Lév. & Vaniot.)
(The TFRI invited grandchildren of Hayata and the great-grandson and great-great-grandson of Faurie’s elder sister to attend the unveilings. This gathering of Taiwanese, Japanese, and French people a century after the first memorial to Faurie was erected was symbolic of the historical ties between us and a sign that Taiwan gratefully remembers these foreign pioneers.
Full story: Taiwan’s Plants on the World Stage: Faurie, Hayata, and the Naming of Taiwanese Flora. )
Full story: Taiwan’s Plants on the World Stage: Faurie, Hayata, and the Naming of Taiwanese Flora. )
- p179 Sterculia monosperma saplings and seeds. Common name bimba in Taiwan (suggest borrowed from Sanskrit). 'A General History of Taiwan' published in 1921 wrote " Origin Western Region, introduced to China during Han dynasty".
- p198 "The Taiwan Exposition 1925 : In Commemoration of the First Thirty Years of Colonial Rule" details - Ichirokuken 一六軒 milk caramel candy production demo, Taiwanese cuisine restaurant Kang-san-lâu showcasing 'Liquor-house' dishes ( Hokkien and Cantonese haute cuisine) (Taiwanese-cuisine during Japan-eras detailed in my co-authored book with Steven Crook 'A Culinary History of Taipei'), Toko 東光 Soap production demo (Taiwan soap history began in 1902 Dadaocheng Taipei. Small manufacture until 1911 Japanese investment in Yuanshan, Taipei.), Aborigines (from Taitung Eastern Taiwan) pounding, singing, and making millet (tshik) mochi, Diesel Fuel Generator display and demo. American bullfrog making loud noises (introduced to Taiwan in 1924). Visitors estimated exceeds 600,000.
Model-sugar-building made of 6522 cubes, 855 game participants.
Fireworks and treasure-hunts evening events.
- p199 Main feature (Imperial-Japan) - Carnivorous plants and Mitrastemon yamamotoi var. Yamamoto Makino .
The discovery , naming of Mitrastemon yamamotoi Taiwan species is groundbreaking and a good case of botanical study under Imperial-Japan context.
- p202 American bullfrog voracious appetite eating bird.
(Meiji-period westernization and nutrition knowledge came to Taiwan when Japan took over. 原田諾次 Noji Harada - a Japanese Government officer working in Taipei 1922-23 (also owner of 'Nippon frog farm' 東洋養蛙場) advocated bullfrog meat as an animal-protein option.)
No 016
- p208 Cadechol treatment for heart-burn and discomfort.
- p214 - Physical strength requirement for field studies in botany.
- p233 'Brazil rubber tree' brief history and in Taiwan during Japan-eras - experimenting a range of 'rubber tree' from all over the world. Chiayi being the primary experimental rubber plantation location. Never took off in Taiwan. Although Chiayi plantation research continues. (Chiayi Arboretum, founded in 1907 - For research purpose, totally ten commercial tree species were planted and cultivated, including Brazilian rubber trees ( Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Juss.) Muell. -Arg.), Rose wood (Pterocarpus indicus Willd.) and blackboard trees ( Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.).
- p236 Grand parades celebrating 30 years of colonial rules.
No 017
- p241 Flower offerings Hibiscus mutabilis，Tagetes erecta， Canna indica L. Thorny flower such as Rosa chinensis prohibited for offerings.
- p244 Storylines based on young man's doubt and uncertainty over career directions in botany.
EXTRA
1906 early Spring - a future botanist from a poor family in Japan, carrying dried Magnolia denudata cv notebook, filled with hopes and ambitions, on a rough boat journey to Taiwan.
"Mount Niitaka here I come!"
(Once again, as I mentioned earlier, not uncommon Japanese from poorer background in early-mid 20th century, considered Taiwan a land of hopes and potentials, one step closer for a better life)
'Behind the Scenes' links
Volume I-III (https://www.creative-comic.tw/zh/book/72/content)
Volume II (https://www.creative-comic.tw/en/special_topics/298)
Volume III (https://www.creative-comic.tw/zh/special_topics/417)
Additional Food Gifts
1. Listea cubeba Taiwan etymology - mǎgào (derived from magaw, its name in the language of the indigenous Atayal). Linguistic origin 木薑 (in various languages mujiang, may chang, mắc khén)
2. Cordia dichotoma Taiwan etymology - 'phoa po chi' and 'babchi'.
Cordia dichotoma Taiwanese name is 'phoa po chi' - phoa means shabby. It seems Taiwanese 400 years old (Taiwanese anthropologist claimed) "shabby rags" got its name developed from more than one Chinese plant names and the interesting thing is 'po' origin is 'gu' meaning bone (ie a herbal medicinal use to strengthen bone).
Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi) is a plant used in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine. Psoralea is from the Greek psoraleos meaning 'scabby', and refers to small glands covering the plant.
Cordia dichotoma Taiwanese name is 'phoa po chi' - phoa means shabby. It seems Taiwanese 400 years old (Taiwanese anthropologist claimed) "shabby rags" got its name developed from more than one Chinese plant names and the interesting thing is 'po' origin is 'gu' meaning bone (ie a herbal medicinal use to strengthen bone).
Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi) is a plant used in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine. Psoralea is from the Greek psoraleos meaning 'scabby', and refers to small glands covering the plant.
3. Taiwan's own-grown wheat - eighteen wheat. Named by founder 馬聿安 (an agriculture PhD) commemorating his grandmother born in 1918 - nostalgic recultivation.
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