First, the botanical characteristics of wood ginger
1. Name and classification status
Wood ginger is the official middle name, this name is derived from the "Chinese Tree Taxonomy"; aliases in Sichuan called wood fragrant seed, mountain pepper, monkey fragrant seed, Chen eggplant, orchid tree, ginger wood; in Yunnan called fragrant guizi; in Shaanxi called yellow flower seed, spicy ginger seed, etc.; in plant taxonomy belongs to the lauraceae genus of deciduous small trees.
2, distribution and growth environment
It is mainly distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, Henan, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet and other provinces and regions in China; it usually grows in mixed wood forests, streams and forests on the slopes of mountains below 2300 meters above sea level.
3, appearance characteristics
It is a deciduous shrub or small tree, up to 6 m tall, the bark is grayish white, the twigs are thin, purple-brown after drying; the leaves are alternate, often clustered at the top of the branches, the leaves are thin papery, oval lanceolate, inverted lanceolate or lanceolate, 5-10 cm long, pinnate veins, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, leaf veins protruding on both sides, full leaf margins, petioles thin;
The umbel-shaped inflorescence is axillary, with a short total peduncle, glabrous, yellow flowers, about 6 mm in diameter, the flower is nearly detached, petal-shaped, inverted ovate, usually with transparent oil spots, flowering in May;
Berry spherical,
When ripe, it is bluish-black, the stem is 5–20 mm long, the apex is enlarged, and it bears fruit in July-September.
Second, the main use of wood ginger
First, its fruit can be used as a raw material for edible flavors and cosmetic flavors. Its fruit contains aromatic oils, the main components are citral, geraniol, lemon hydrocarbons, etc., and are now widely used in the raw materials of high-grade fragrances, ionone, and vitamin A.
Second, its seeds contain about 48% fatty oil and can be used industrially.
The above is for personal reference only.
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