l8 PRINCIPES [Vor 36 Principes,36(l), I992, PP. t8-24 Palms of China D. A. Gnm'rmns Department of Botany, Unittersity of Hong Kong .While gathering information on the role being for the most part numerous. The Chinesehave indexes of our of palms in the economies of Southeast nothing similar to the alphabetical comorehensiveworks. Asia and the Neotropics(Griffiths I989a, Ii ca.tnot be said that the style of Chinesewriters b), I was struck by the paucity of infor- on botanical matters presentsdifficulties to European mation on palms from mainland China; readers acquaintedin some degreewith the language. what little material was available had the In describingplants the authors use for the most part terms. The chief obstaclesencoun' generalreaders that always the same addeddisadvantage to tered by Buropean inquiries studying these writings the information was written in Chinese will be found to consist in the right interpretation of script! Realizing that China might be a geographicalnames which occur, and in ascertaining source of useful information I embarked the time when the quoted works were composed. method of ascertaining the botan' on a project to investigatethe role of palms The only exact ical names corresponding to Chinese denominations in China, both from the standpointof their of plants is to obtain the plants in natura and lo cultural role in the history of that country determine them. I may however observe that, although and their economic usefulness.I am for- the common cultivated plants are known under the tunate to be in the somewhat privileged sameChinese names all over the Empire, many other drugs, go under different local names on the doorstep of China plants, especially position of being in different provinces. and having at my disposal a number of The first difficulty we encounter in identifying Chi- colleagueswho could help in the work of nese names of plants with the scientific appellations, translation; the result of this effort is sum- is to secure trustworthy and competent natives to of the desired." marized in this short communication. procure authentic specimens plants Palmsare a feature of the Chineseindig- Although palms were used locally to enous flora and have been exploited since provide the everyday necessitiesfor living early recorded history as a source of food, in primitive conditions,i.e., timber, shelter shelter, timbero and pharmaceutical prod- and food. etc.. ancient Chinese commu- ucts. In searchingearly Chineseliterature nities were seeminglyobsessed by the iden- for information, one encounters the basic tification of plant extracts as a cure for problemsof nomenclaturalidentity and the ills, as stimulants and as balms for bodily correctness of assigning data written in abrasions. A great folklore developed in Chinese ideograms to the corresponding various regionsof China where voluminous Latin equivalent. This problem has been works were produced extolling the virtues encounteredby numeroussinologists in the of various drugs to alleviate pain and suf- past and in particular has been commented fering and to help the patient to lead a full uponby Bretschneider(1882)' a physician and fruitful life! to the Russian Legation in Peking and an Again, in trying to ascertain the exact expert sinologist interested in botanical botanical identity of many of these drugs aspectsof Materia Medica of the ancient one runs into the ever-presentproblem of Chinesekingdoms. He reports as follows: nomenclature.For example,Bretschneider (1882) "The first difficulty that arises is to find out where states: to look for the plant about which information is "The reouired. Chinesebotanical works note from 5000 to majority of drugs dealt with in Chinesetrea- 60b0 names of plants, the synonyms of each plant tises on Materia medica are yielded by wild growing Lee2l GRIFFITHS:PALMS OF CHINA I9 mountain plants. The mountains of Chihli, Shantung, This palm was previously mentioned in Honan "Kwang Shansi, and Sz' ch'uan are especially famed the 3rd century treatises Zhi" for the medicinal herbs they produce. These drugs "Buo (roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc.) for the most part and Wu Zhi" and also mentioned as reach the apothecary's shop cut in little pieces or being of economicvalue in the 4th century "Ben pulverized. The apothecary knows nothing about the text, CaoShi Yi Hua Yang Guo Zhi" plants from which they are derived, nor concerning and alsoin the I 6th century treatise,"Pen the place whence they have gathered. been Our spe- Ts'ao Kang Wu." This latter treatise cialists in Europe are also seldom able to determine on these fragmenti." Materia Medica and Natural History was written by Li Shi Chen in 1552 and took The first attempt by Europeansto describe twenty six yearsto complete.It is probably Chinesedrugs was made by Gauger(1848) "Repertorium the treatiseon MateriaMedica most widely in his fiir Pharmacie und quotedby Europeansinologists. practische Chemie in Russland" who The date palm(P hoenix dactylifera L.) described 54 drugs with their Chinese is referredto as Hai-tsao-shuor the jujube names but gives no accurate botanical tree. The author states that the taste is descriptions. very sweetand agreeable.The date palm In describing the pharmaceutical uses has probably existedsince prehistoric times of palmsper se ancient writers are some- in Northern Africa and Asia Minor and what scant in their descriptionsand one is some of the Chinese names refer to its left with a tantalizing statement that "efficacious foreign(e.g., Persian) origin. extracts of the plants are in o'good The Betel-nutPalm (Areca catechuL.), childbirth" or for colds" etc. known in Chineseas Pin-lang-shu,gets a In this paper I will attempt firstly, to more extensive treatment from Chi Han give a historical background to Chinese presumably because of its obvious phar- writings on botanical subjects with special macological attributes. The description referenceto the palms. given below is that derived from the trans- lation of the original description by Li Palmsin the AncientTexts (r979): Among the earliest Chinese treatises giving a systematic account "The of plants is the PinJang-shu are over one hundred feet in Nan-Fang Ts'ao-Mu Chuang written in the height. The bark resemblesthe Ch'ing'tung and the 4th century by Chi Han and now available joints, the Kuei-chu. The trunk is not enlarged at the in an English translation by Li (1979). The bottom nor narrowed at the top. It is straight and ascending, and tens of thousands of this tree look book deals with the tree flora of southern exactly the same, green and stately and without China and lists, among others, the Sugar branching. From the top grow the leaveswhich resem- palm (Arenga pinnata); the date palm ble the leavesof the banana, broken into strips along (Phoenix dactylifera L.); the Betehut palm the veins. Gazed up at from a distance, they appear like numerous (Areca catechu), and the coconut palm banana leavesstuck on ton of bamboo sticks.swaying in the wind like numerousfeathered (Cocos nucifera). fans sweepingthe sky. Below the leayesare attached For example, the author Chi Han names several spathes . , each with clusters of several the sugar paLm(Arenga pinnata (Wurmb.) tens of fruits. The fruits are as big as peaches and Merr. syn. A. saccharifera Labill.) as plums with naturally formed spinesdensely covering the base; these protect the fruits. Cut open the skin Kuanglang but only refers to its usefulness and peel off the flesh; the taste is acrid and astringent. in making ropes from the bark and for the When hung and dried, the fruit becomes hard like extraction of a flour from a region just dried jujube. By taking it together with betel.leaf and under the bark. He does not mention the oyster-shelllime . , it is slippery and tasty, and it dissolvesgases formation of the inflorescence from which and promotes digestion. It grows in Lin-i, where the people consider it valuable.... natives in Burma and Malaysia obtain Another name is Pin.men-yao-chien (guest door sugar-yielding sap. medicinal sweet.meat). 20 PRINCIPES lVoL. 36 Chi Han was obviously aware of the substancemust be spit out, which is not particularly after Unschuld 1986] prevalenceof this nut as a masticatory and aesthetic." [Quotation presumably was aware of the intoxication The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) produced in subjects following prolonged receives scant treatment and mention is chewing. He is also aware of the use of made only of the taste of the flesh (endo- "dis- the nut as a socializing factor and sperm) though drinking the juice is said to tinctly emphasizesthat inadvertant omis- induce intoxication presumablyafter it has sionof presentingbetel-nut to a guestwould fermented. Mention is also made of the be a mark of enmity" (Li 1979). We know Iegend referring to the shape of the fruit: from many betel-eating societies that its "It is colloquially called Yueh-wang-t'ou (head of are anthelmintic in animals and a effects the king of Yueh). It is said that once uPon a time decoction of the nut is recommended in there was a feud between the king of Lin'i and the cardiac conditions and as an astringent king of Yueh. The former sent a knight-errant to Iotion for eyes.The decoctionis alsoapplied assassinatethe latter and cut off his head and hung into a coconut. The to ulcers, bleeding gums and for urinary it on a tree. It suddenly changed of Lin-i was angered and had it cut open and from the leaves king discharges.Essential oils made into a drinking vessel, This custom is still fol' are said to be effective in bronchitis, lar- lowed by the people of the South. It is said that when yngitis and throat inflammations; it is also the king of Yueh was being killed' he was very intox- just used to induce labor.