Stinking yellow broom, stinking peony, chicken shit vine... a list of treasure plants that are delayed by their names

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Produced by: Zhang Fan (Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Producer: Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences

In the plant kingdom, there are some plants that have a special "body odor" and their names themselves reveal their peculiar smell, so people often distance themselves from them based on their first impression.

However, some of these plants are definitely treasure plants. Let’s learn about them together!

Stinking broom: the magical green tofu raw material

The stinking yellow vitex is a wild shrub of the Verbenaceae family, and its Chinese name is Tofu Chai. When it blooms, small yellow flowers are arranged like a pagoda, and the petals are covered with soft hairs, which looks unobtrusive and unique.

Its leaves are green and have a bitter, pungent smell when rubbed with your hands, so people also call it "stinking yellow broom".

But don’t stay away from it just because it smells bad. It is actually a very good food.

Vitex foetida (Photo source: China Plant Image Library)

In the poorer years in the past, people often picked its leaves to satisfy their hunger. Although the leaves smelled bad, they were no longer smelly if they were fried. I believe that people who experienced that difficult period had a lot of feelings for this inconspicuous leaf.

The leaves of tofu shiitake mushrooms are rich in pectin, so in addition to being stir-fried, they can also be used to make green tofu.

In some places south of the Yangtze River in my country, there is a delicacy that looks like jade and is shaped like jelly. It is refreshing and can clear away heat and detoxify. It is a rare summer-relief delicacy in hot weather. It is commonly known as "Guanyin tofu" or "fairy tofu", and tofu chai is its raw material, which is also an important reason why tofu chai is still loved by people.

Guanyin tofu (Photo source: Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

In addition, the roots, stems, and leaves of Tofu Chai can be used as medicine, which has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and stopping bleeding. It can be used to treat snake bites, unknown swelling and pain, traumatic bleeding, etc.

Houttuynia cordata: a natural health product in the food world

Houttuynia cordata is a perennial herb of the genus Houttuynia in the family Saururaceae. Its leaves and flowers are quite recognizable. The leaves are heart-shaped and the back is often purple-red. The white "petals" are fresh and elegant, but these are actually its bracts, in which stand erect spikes about 2 cm long.

Houttuynia cordata (Photo credit: Zhang Lijun)

The most impressive thing about Houttuynia cordata is actually its smell. As the name suggests, it has a fishy smell.

Similarly, Houttuynia cordata, which has a special flavor, is also a delicious ingredient.

It can be cooked, and the tender rhizomes can also be eaten raw as a salad. However, people have mixed feelings about this delicacy: most of those who enjoy it are from the southwest, while the rest will frown after a quick taste, and some may even swear never to eat this dish again.

Houttuynia cordata salad (Photo source: China Plant Image Library)

Houttuynia cordata has great health and medicinal value, and is one of the plant resources identified by the Ministry of Health as "both medicine and food". As a traditional Chinese medicine, Houttuynia cordata is even more well-known. It has a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.

Garlic vine: an excellent ornamental plant that is resistant to insects

When you hear the name "garlic vine", your first reaction may be to think of garlic, right?

But in fact, garlic vine is a beautiful and romantic plant. When it blooms, the deep and light purple flowers are distributed on the winding vines. Against the backdrop of lush green leaves, it looks elegant and unique, giving people a romantic feeling. Its flowers are like small bells, so it is also called "purple bell vine".

Garlic vine flowers (Photo credit: Zhang Lijun)

So, why does a plant with such beautiful flowers have the word "garlic" in its name?

This is because the flowers and leaves of garlic vine have a garlic flavor, hence the name garlic vine. However, in its natural state, it only has a light garlic smell, and only when it is rubbed or injured will it emit a strong garlic smell.

Garlic vine not only has a garlic aroma, but also contains real garlic ingredients!

Studies have shown that the leaves and flowers of garlic vine contain organic sulfides such as diallyl disulfide and diallyl trisulfide, both of which are active ingredients in garlic oil.

Therefore, garlic vine can even be used as a substitute for garlic in cooking, and it also has rich medicinal value. Its extracts have multiple pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.

Despite its ugly name, garlic vine is an excellent ornamental plant.

Garlic vine has brightly colored flowers and dense branches and leaves. When in full bloom, it looks like hanging pink hydrangeas, making it a climbing plant with great ornamental value. It is suitable for planting in flower corridors, and can also climb on flower racks, walls, and fences.

Coupled with the natural garlic flavor, garlic vine can be considered a very smart and effective self-defense weapon, making garlic vine almost immune to all insects and naturally strong.

Garlic vine flower trellis (Photo source: China Plant Image Library)

Stinking peony: a highly adaptable beauty in the flower world

Stinky peony is a shrub of the Verbenaceae family, 1-2 meters high, also known as stinky eight treasures, stinky sycamore, etc. This name combines the beautiful peony with "stinky", which makes people more curious.

Since the name of the plant contains the word "peony", it is a good-looking plant. When it blooms, the small pink or purple flowers gather into large, round spherical inflorescences, which look particularly bright and gorgeous against the backdrop of green leaves, resembling the appearance of a peony.

Flowers of the stinking peony (Photo credit: Zhang Lijun)

However, the appearance of the peony cannot cover up the peculiar odor of the plant, so it is named stinking peony.

Because of the word "stinky" in its name, people often stay away from stinking peony. However, stinking peony is actually an excellent horticultural ornamental plant. It can be planted in gardens and courtyards, and can also be used as a ground cover plant and hedge cultivation.

Stinking peony (Photo source: China Plant Image Library)

In addition, it has strong adaptability, prefers sunshine but tolerates shade, and tolerates moisture, drought and cold. It is not picky about soil and can grow even in slightly or moderately saline-alkali land. In addition, it grows better in places where domestic garbage or building materials have been piled up.

The roots, stems and leaves of stinking peony can also be used as medicine, which has the effects of dispelling wind and relieving pain, reducing swelling and relieving pain. Modern scientific research has shown that stinking peony mainly contains chemical components such as diterpenes and phenylethanol glycosides, which have multi-faceted pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor and hypoglycemic.

Chicken shit vine: a delicious ingredient loved by locals

Chicken Shit Vine is a vine of the Rubiaceae family. The name is easy to conjure up a picture, and even makes people feel a little disgusted. Its full name is "Chicken Shit Vine". It is called Chicken Shit Vine because it can emit a strong smell. Haha, it should be easy to guess the smell.

But don't judge by its name. Although the name makes people imagine, its flowers are actually very cute, with a bell-shaped corolla, purple inside and gray outside, and fuzzy. The small flowers gather together to form an umbrella-shaped inflorescence, which is even more unique and exquisite against the background of green leaves.

Every autumn, clusters of yellow spherical fruits cover the branches, creating a unique landscape.

Flowers of the spatholobiaceae (Source: China Plant Image Library)

Fruit of the vine (Source: China Plant Image Library)

What’s more, surprisingly, chicken shit vine is also a delicious ingredient.

In Guangdong, Guangxi and other places in my country, people have the custom of eating vine cakes during the Qingming Festival or March 3. Blend the leaves of vine into pulp with a blender, mix with glutinous rice flour to make vine cakes, and steam them in a pot.

You may think it tastes like stinky tofu, but it actually tastes quite the opposite, with a very fresh and fragrant taste. In Hainan, the chicken shit vine baba made with chicken shit vine is one of the local specialties and is listed as one of the "famous Chinese snacks".

Cistanche deserticola cake (Photo credit: Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

In addition, the root, stem, leaf and fruit of the plant can be used as medicine, which has the effects of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, lowering uric acid, lowering blood sugar, antibacterial, anti-tumor, and digestion.

Nature is amazing, and has endowed plants with rich "body odors". Perhaps you stay away from them because of their body odor, but don't just "make the final decision" and stop interacting with them.

If you learn more about them, you will find that they are such lovely treasure plants! What they smell and what they taste like are two different things. Maybe if you are brave enough to try them, you will have a favorite ingredient that you can't stop eating!

References:

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