Inventory of plants that are mispronounced | Tamarix and Polygonum multiflorum: The names are too weird, and if you recognize half of them, you are bound to be mispronounced

Many names of trees follow the rules of phono-semantic characters. The left part usually describes the shape, while the right part indicates the pronunciation. The pronunciation of these names can be divided into two categories: one is that the name of the tree is directly the same as the pronunciation on the right , such as sycamore, cypress, maple, oak, etc., which are easy to understand at a glance; the other is that although the name of the tree is somewhat similar to the pronunciation on the right, there is always a little difference, which makes people feel strange at first glance, as if they have read it wrong. For example, tamarisk and hollyhock, just looking at the right part, they feel quite familiar, but when you read it out, you find that it is not what you thought at all, which is really unexpected.

Don’t just read the right side of a phono-semantic character casually. There are many mysteries in the pronunciation of Chinese characters!

Tamarix : It turns out that “ red willow skewers ” ​​refers to this !

As a delicacy that is popular all over the country, red willow grilled skewers are not only famous for their large pieces of meat and unique aroma, but also for the use of red willow wood for grilling and skewering, which perfectly combines the dual enjoyment of nature and deliciousness. The bark and branches of red willow are charmingly reddish-brown, which can not only be used as high-quality charcoal for grilling lamb, but can also be directly used as branches for skewering meat, achieving a dual improvement in function and beauty.

Nationally famous red willow skewers

The scientific name of red willow is Tamarix chinensis. Note that Tamarix chinensis is pronounced neither as shèng nor as guài, but as chēng. It is a tree or shrub of the genus Tamarix in the family Tamarix. Globally, there are more than 90 species of Tamarix chinensis, and my country has nearly 20 species, mainly distributed in arid areas such as the northwest and Inner Mongolia.

The appearance of Tamarix is ​​between willow and cypress. From a distance, its branches are soft and elegant, just like willow; from a closer look, it is found that the branches are covered with dense scaly leaves, which is more like cypress. Zhang Heng, a writer of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wrote in "Nandu Fu": "Tamarix is ​​like cypress but fragrant." Although cypress belongs to gymnosperms, Tamarix and willow are both classified as angiosperms. According to the botanical theory that gymnosperms do not bloom, the name Tamarix is ​​more appropriate.

The leaves of tamarisk are like cypress leaves

The character "圣" on the right of "柽" means "the saint of wood". Luo Yuan, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, recorded in "Er Ya Yi": "When it is about to rain, the tamarisk knows it first and responds with its energy. It also withstands frost and snow without withering, which makes it the saint of wood. Therefore, its character is derived from "圣", and it is also called "雨师". The ancients believed that rain was a gift from heaven due to superstition, and could only pray for rain in the face of drought. The tamarisk is highly respected for its ability to predict rain. It can predict the arrival of rain by sensing the changes in humidity in the air, and sprays seeds before the rain to spread. Thousands of pink seeds form a mist, which becomes a sign before the rain. Therefore, the tamarisk is also honored as the "Rain Master" or "Guanyin Willow".

Tamarix in bloom

Tamarix blooms three times a year, from March to October, so it is also known as the "Three Spring Willow". Its flowers are small and delicate, clustered together like pink spikes, swaying in the wind, showing a charming grace.

The leaves of the tamarisk tree blooming in the desert like the sun.

Tamarix has strong tolerance to drought, high temperature and severe cold. It often grows in desert areas and is known as the "desert flower". Its root system is extremely developed, and its taproots can dig deep into the yellow sand to absorb water to the maximum extent; while its leaves degenerated into fine scales can minimize water evaporation. Because of this, Tamarix plays an important role in desert improvement and saline-alkali land greening, and has made great contributions to my country's border sand fixation and afforestation projects.

Tamarix in the desert

Hiiragi: A lucky tree that blooms in cold winter

Japanese people like to plant auspicious trees in pairs at the entrance of their courtyards, which are said to be able to ward off evil and exorcise demons. The leaves of this tree are mostly covered with sharp thorns, which are said to be able to blind the eyes of evil spirits and effectively block the invasion of ominous air. Even in the cold winter, this tree can still bloom and release a refreshing fragrance, bringing a happy and harmonious atmosphere to the whole family.

This auspicious tree is the 柊 tree. Note that "柊" is not pronounced dōng, but zhōng, which emphasizes its unique habit of blooming flowers at the end of each year.

The origin of the word "柊" can be traced back to before the Song Dynasty. Although the ancients regarded it as a kind of tree, they did not specify what kind of tree it was. "Guangyun" in the Northern Song Dynasty recorded: "柊 is the name of a tree. The people of Qi also called 柊, which is 楑." This shows that people regarded 柊 as a high-quality material for making 楑, and called 柊楑. This name has been used in my country for a thousand years. It was not until 1937 that Chen Rong, the founder of Chinese tree taxonomy, officially recorded the name "柊树" for the first time in "Chinese Tree Taxonomy", and it has been used to this day.

Variegated Hibiscus, one of the important species of Hibiscus

The leaves of Hirudo are varied in shape, some are covered with thorns, others are smooth and thornless (called entire margin in botany), and the most common ones are those with many thorns. The flowering period of Hirudo is usually concentrated between November and December each year, when the small white flowers bloom one after another, exuding a rich and intoxicating fragrance that makes people intoxicated. Because the leaves of Hirudo are thorny and the flowers are as beautiful as osmanthus, people also call it "thorny osmanthus".

Hiiragi leaves

In the botanical classification, the classification of the tree has also gone through some twists and turns. In 1832, Linnaeus, the founder of plant taxonomy, classified it as a member of the genus Ilex. However, in 1958, Peter Green, a famous British botanist, reclassified it based on the characteristics of the leaf shape of the tree, classified it as Osmanthus, and revised its scientific name to "heterophyllus" (meaning "leaf with variable shape").

The small white flowers of the Hibiscus tree are surrounded by entire leaves

Hiiragi has been loved by the Japanese since ancient times. In addition to planting them in pairs at the doorstep to pray for good luck, as mentioned above, Hiiragi is also listed as one of the four-season trees by the Japanese, along with Camellia, Enoki, and Catalpa, which together constitute the four-season trees in the minds of the Japanese. Hiiragi is also called "hiiragi wood", which refers to the Hiiragi tree of the genus Osmanthus.

Hiiragi

In addition, in Japan, "Hiragi" is also used as a surname, which shows its influence. When it comes to famous people or things with "Hiragi" as the surname, we have to mention the heroine Shinoa Hiiragi in the Japanese manga and its derivative work "Seraph of the End". In real life, the most prestigious one is Japan's top inn - Hiiragi Inn. In the middle of the 19th century, a businessman founded this inn with "Hiragi" as the business name because he admired the Hiiragi trees around the shrine. For more than a hundred years, Hiiragi Inn has been crowded with people and is deeply loved by people. It is said that the famous Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata also has a special liking for Hiiragi Inn. He rented a house here for a long time and created many world-renowned literary works.

The sign of Hiiragiya Ryokan, source: Japan Huawang Co., Ltd. official account

Author: Wei Deyong

Member of Guangdong Shenzhen Writers Association

Editor: Dong Xiaoxian

Reviewer: Liu Ying, Li Peiyuan