Zhenba Tree Flower Vegetable

Zhenba Tree Flower Vegetable

　　Zhenba Tree Flower Vegetable is a local specialty of Zhenba County in Shaanxi Province. It comes from a shrub plant, where we harvest its fresh leaves and flowers and process them into this product. The people of Zhenba have a long-standing tradition of eating Tree Flower Vegetable. Though its appearance may not be appealing, it boasts a unique fragrance. Dishes such as this vegetable braised with fresh pork knuckle, chicken, or fish soup are rich-tasting yet not greasy. Especially popular is the Tree Flower Vegetable braised with snake meat—the soup is aromatic and delicious, winning favor among food lovers worldwide. As a result, Zhenba Tree Flower Vegetable has become a highly sought-after item, greatly increasing its price.

　　The plant name for Zhenba “Tree Flower Vegetable” is Staphylea bumalda, belonging to the family Staphyleaceae and the genus Staphylea. Staphylea bumalda is a perennial deciduous shrub or small tree, also known as Shuǐtiáo locally, and commonly referred to as Tree Flower Vegetable or Pearl Flower. It is a rare woody oil plant, an edible shrub, and an excellent ornamental greening species in China. The edible and medicinal values of Staphylea bumalda have long been recognized. Its tender leaves, young shoots, and flower buds contain high levels of crude fat, total amino acids, and essential amino acids, making it a pure natural green wild vegetable. The seeds’ oil contains 9.08% alpha-linolenic acid and 53.83% linoleic acid. With high nutritional and health benefits, it shows great potential for development as a source for health oils, cooking oils, and new cosmetic oils.

　　[Also known as] Tree Flower Vegetable, Pearl Flower—recorded in Jiuhuang Bencao (The Materia Medica for Famine Relief); Double Butterfly—source from Zhejiang Tianmushan Yaozhi Zhi (Medicinal Plant Records of Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang).

　　[Source] The fruit or root of the plant Staphylea bumalda from the family Staphyleaceae.

　　[Plant Description] Staphylea bumalda is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3 meters tall. It has opposite compound leaves; the petiole is 3–8 cm long with early-deciduous stipules. There are three leaflets, which are elliptical or oval-elliptical, measuring 1.3–7 cm in length and 1–3 cm in width. The leaf apex is acuminate, the base is cuneate, the edges have fine serrations with small pointed tips, and both surfaces have sparse fine hairs along the veins; the leaflet stalks are extremely short. The inflorescence is terminal and panicle-shaped; there are five yellowish-white sepals; five petals about the same length as the sepals, white in color; five stamens, two carpels, the ovary is coarse-haired, and there are two styles. The capsule is flat, inversely triangular, about 2 cm long, with a thin membranous skin and transverse striations. The seeds are round and flat, yellow and glossy. The flowering period is six months, and the fruiting period is from seven to nine months.

　　It grows in shrubs along mountain slopes, roadside areas, or beside streams and valleys. It is distributed across most regions of the country.

　　[Chemical Components] Fresh leaves contain staphylein.

　　[Functions and Indications] Treats dry cough—use three to four qian of the fruit, decoct in water and take as a drink. For postpartum blood stasis in women, use three liang of fresh root, plus five qian of safflower and one liang of madder root, decoct in water, then mix with brown sugar and yellow wine, taking one dose before breakfast and dinner each day.

　　The Tree Flower Vegetable tree is a unique wild evergreen shrub native to Zhenba County. People harvest its fresh leaves and floral buds to produce Tree Flower Vegetable. This product is a pure natural green food, containing 24.4% crude protein. It has a tender and refreshing taste and can be boiled, stir-fried, served cold, or made into tea. Regular consumption helps lower blood lipids, and it is particularly effective in treating coronary heart disease and postpartum blood stasis in women. It also relieves dry cough, benefits the liver and kidneys, prevents cancer, promotes fitness, and its flower and leaf sap is a marvel for moisturizing the skin and enhancing beauty and health.