Zhangcun Gorgon Fruit

Zhangcun Gorgon Fruit

　　The specialty of Xiazhang Village, Dongfeng Town, Chao'an County, is gorgon fruit, also known as water chestnut or "chicken head." It is an annual aquatic herbaceous plant of the Nymphaeaceae family. Preferring warmth and disliking cold and drought, it can only thrive in frost-free seasons and commonly grows in still water environments such as marsh ponds and lake bays. Gorgon fruit has a well-developed root system resembling a broom that extends deep into the soil. Its stem is short and thick. The leaves grow successively from the shortened stem at the base, emerging from the outside inward. The leaf surface is green with a purplish-red underside. The young leaves are arrow-shaped and spineless. Later, they gradually develop into large, round, shield-shaped floating leaves covered with many spines. Some parts of the gorgon flower remain submerged in water, opening during the day and closing at night. The fruit grows from the flower receptacle. It is spherical, with a top resembling a chicken head and covered with many thorns on the outside.

Inside, it is spongy and packed with spherical seeds about the size of peas, with hard black shells. When shelled, the white, powdery kernels inside are the gorgon rice (or gorgon seeds), which taste sweet and fragrant. Rich in starch, sugar, fat, protein, and various vitamins, they are effective in treating conditions such as nocturnal emission, turbid urine, leukorrhea, urinary incontinence, and diarrhea. Other parts of the gorgon fruit are also useful. The petioles and flower stems of the fruit make excellent vegetables, while the enlarged rhizomes, containing a certain amount of starch, can be used as feed for pigs. Because of its dual use as both food and medicine, gorgon fruit has long been sold in markets in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia.