"Where Is My Wū-Mù (Ebony)?!" (Kew London Inspired II)

 




I am in fact taking this opportunity to post about a very dark wood  commonly known as 烏木 (wū mù) and the significant role it played in Taiwanese culture.


Its fruit  'velvet persimmon' 毛柿 in several indigenous language is kamaya - possibly a loan word from the Philippines (Tagalog).

Its timber precious 'Ebony'  used for making most expensive furniture.


During an Eastern Taiwan trip in 2021 - a local Taiwanese friend shouted out "That's wū mù! The darker the wood the more expensive!" - I, of course, immediately took a photo. To add - the tree was very tall and it wasn't fruiting season. I have also seen it  on a number of occasions in different parts of Taiwan.



A major scene in TV drama "Seqalu: Formosa 1867", Paljalim (who triggered The Rover Incident) shouted out (in claiming leadership/territory, from my recollection)

"WHERE is my 烏木 wū mù!?" 


PUPPET FLOWER (A novel of1867 Formosa) - 
"A gripping work of historical fiction, Puppet Flower is a powerful revisionist narrative of a formative moment in Taiwan's past"  has been published by Columbia University in April 2023. 

 


During this Kew Herbarium visit, Motoko who was present blogged about this very interesting Japanese sweet. Read HERE. 


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(Kew London Inspired)  List

I. JUTE Economy, Specialty Soup, and Jute Bags for Rice and Sugar HERE.


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