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Premna microphylla

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Premna microphylla
"Premna microphylla"
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Premna
Species:
P. microphylla
Binomial name
Premna microphylla
Synonyms[3]

Premna microphylla is a tree[4] in the mint family (Lamiaceae).[3]

Names

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P. microphylla has the English common names Japanese premna,[5] (Japanese) musk maple,[6] and Japanese neem tree.[6] It is also called tofu tree because of the tofu-like food made from the leaves.[7]

The specific epithet microphylla derives from Greek μικροϛ (micros) and φυλλον (phyllon) and means 'small leaves'.[6][8] The name for the genus Premna derives from the Greek πρέμνον (premnon, tree stump) refers to the short trunks that some species have.[6]

In Japanese it is called ハマクサギ (hamakusagi).[4] In China, it is known as 豆腐柴 (dòufu chái 'tofu wood'), 斑鸠树 (bānjiū shù 'turtledove tree'),[9] 臭黄荆 (chòu huáng jīng 'stinky yellow thorn'), 腐蜱 (fǔ pí 'rotten tick'), and 观音草 (guānyīn cǎo 'Guanyin grass').[10] In Taiwan it is called 臭黃荊 (chòu huáng jīng)[11] The plant is called cách lá nhỏ in Vietnamese.[12][13]

Description

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P. microphylla is a tree[4] and has square, woody, mostly smooth stems and branches.[2] The plant reaches 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in – 19 ft 8 in) in height,[10] and around 3 m (9.8 ft) wide.[6] It grows as a nanophanerophyte or phanerophyte.[3]

The leaves are sessile, ovate-lanceolate in shape and tapered near the tip.[2] The leaves grow in an opposite pattern.[6] The leaf margins are serrate from the middle to the apex.[2] Both sides of the leaves are scabrous and covered with very short 'hairs'.[2] The leaves have a strong odor[10] that has been compared to those of Serissa.[14]

The flowers are hermaphroditic[2] and grow in conical panicles.[6] The 5-part calyx is short,[2] cup-shaped, and purplish-green.[6] The calyx surrounds a funnel-shaped corolla[2] that is pale yellow.[10][6] The petals are 0.3–0.4 inches (7.6–10.2 mm) long.[2] The cream-colored and zygomorphic flowers bloom in May and August.[4]

The drupe is obovate to nearly spherical and purple-black when ripe.[10][6]

Major compounds found in the essential oil include blumenol c, β-cedrene, limonene, α-guaiene, cryptone, and α-cyperone.[15]

Distribution

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The plant is found in southern China,[2][3][6] central and southern Japan,[3][4] and Taiwan.[3][11][6] The type specimen was collected by Scottish botanist and plant hunter Robert Fortune in China.[2] It prefers growing in slightly acidic to acidic soil mainly on woodland edges or understory at an altitude of 500–1,000 metres (1,600–3,300 ft) in elevation.[10]

Ecology

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The growing season is yearly from March to November.[10] The pollination syndrome for P. microphylla is melittophily, with bee and wasp pollinators including Xylocopa amamensis, Cerceris yuwanensis, and Hylaeus insularum.[4] There are no major diseases or insect pests known.[6] There is some evidence that sika deer will nibble on the tree occasionally.[16]

Uses

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P. microphylla is used for food. The leaves can be used to make a pectin-rich gel that is something like tofu.[10][9] The jelly is similar to grass jelly but it not usually called that, unlike other grass jelly plants. This green gel is called 神仙豆腐 (shénxiān dòufu, immortal/divine tofu)[9] or 观音豆腐 (Guānyīn dòufu, Guanyin tofu).[10] In English it is sometimes called green leaf tofu.[7] A similar 'fairy tofu' is made from the leaves of Premna puberula.[17] The leaves are high in protein (13.48%),[10] and while not as much as soybeans, it is high for a leaf vegetable and ranks closer to cereal grains like hard wheat (12.6%) rather than spinach (2.9%).[18][19] To make the 'tofu', the leaves are washed and crushed with some water to facilitate grinding.[10] Culinary ash is added to the strained mixture and it is allowed to set.[10] Some cooks burn specific wood for the ash, such as Osmanthus.[20] The dish is considered a refreshing summer treat.[10] Production is small and local, and not done on an industrial scale.[10]

Much effort has been made to develop P. microphylla as an industrial source of pectin.[10] The leaves contain 30-40% pectin,[10] much higher than the typical sources, apple pomace (10-15%) and citrus peel (20-30%).[21]

The plant is also used for bonsai[6] because of its small, strong-smelling leaves.[14] The bonsai trunks are evocative of driftwood, similar to shimpaku juniper.[14] A specimen of P. microphylla was used as an autonomous bonsai in the art installation titled Premna Daemon.[22][23][24][25]

References

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  1. ^ Zhao, L., Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. 2019. Premna microphylla. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T147650548A147650550. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T147650548A147650550.en Archived 6 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed on 3 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Turczaninow, Nikolai (1863). Renard (ed.). "Verbenaceae et Myoporaceae Nonnullae Hucusque Indescriptae" [Verbenaceae and Myoporaceae Several Thus Far Undescribed] (PDF). Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou (in Latin). XXXVI (3): 217. OCLC 12176618. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Premna microphylla". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Kew: Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kato, Makoto (31 March 2000). "Anthophilous insect community and plant-pollinator interactions on Amami Islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan". Contributions from the Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University. 29 (2): 157–254. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.861.2315. hdl:2433/156116. ISSN 0452-9987. OCLC 957900493.
  5. ^ Yang, Xinrong (9 March 2013). Encyclopedic Reference of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 325. ISBN 9783662051771. OCLC 1012445569. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Premna microphylla". Missouri Botanical Garden. St. Louis, MO. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b Goldthread (30 November 2018). "The Tofu That Grows On Trees". YouTube. RADII. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ^ Griffith, Chuck. "micranthiformismitissimus". Dictionary of Botanical Epithets. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b c LI, Gang-feng; YAN, Hong-bo; KANG, Ming; WANG, Huan; HE, Zhi-jun; ZHOU, Qiang-ying; ZHANG, Hua-min (19 February 2017). "豆腐柴叶豆腐的加工工艺优化" [Optimization of Processing Technology of Premna microphylla Turcz Leaf Tofu]. 食品研究与开发 (in Chinese). 38 (14): 68–74. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1005-6521.2017.14.015. ISSN 1005-6521. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p LI, Mei-qing; WANG, Yuan-li; DONG, Ming; HE, Jin-ling (2011). "豆腐柴的研究与应用综述" [Summarization of research and application of Premna microphylla Turcz]. Science and Technology of Food Industry (in Chinese) (3): 462–464. doi:10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2011.03.029. ISSN 1002-0306. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b Chung, KF; Shao, KT (17 August 2022). "The National Checklist of Taiwan (Catalogue of Life in Taiwan, TaiCoL)". Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Premna microphylla Turcz". Vietnam Plant Data Center. BotanyVN – Botany Research and Development Group of Vietnam. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2024. Scientific name: Premna microphylla Turcz. Vietnamese name: Cách lá nhỏ
  13. ^ Văn Chi Võ (2007). Sách tra cứu tên cây cỏ Việt Nam (in Vietnamese). Nhà xuất bản Giáo dục. OCLC 271047166. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Chan, Peter (8 September 2014). The Bonsai Bible The Definitive Guide to Choosing and Growing Bonsai. Octopus. ISBN 9781784720063. OCLC 897024475. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  15. ^ Zhang, Han-Yu; Gao, Yang; Lai, Peng-Xiang (March 2017). Tzakou, Olga (ed.). "Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Essential Oil from Premna microphylla Turczaninow". Molecules. 22 (3): 381. doi:10.3390/molecules22030381. OCLC 7181596296. PMC 6155397. PMID 28264507.
  16. ^ Terada, Chisato; Tatsuzawa, Shirow; Kawamura, Takashi; Fujioka, Masahiro (15 February 2010). "ヤクシカの餌場としての林道脇植生の評価" [Evaluation of forestry roads as feeding sites of sika deer]. 保全生態学研究 (Japanese Journal of Conservation Ecology) (in Japanese). 15: 197. doi:10.18960/hozen.15.2_193. ISSN 2424-1431. OCLC 9658348117. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  17. ^ Zhang, Ming-Sheng (28 September 2012). "A Key Component Determination on Forming Fairy Tofu from the Leaf of Premna puberula (Verbenaceae)". Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. doi:10.7324/JAPS.2012.2906.
  18. ^ Steinke W, et al. (1992). New protein foods in human health: nutrition, prevention and therapy. CRC Press. pp. 91–100. ISBN 978-0-8493-6904-9.
  19. ^ Young VR, Pellett PL (May 1994). "Plant proteins in relation to human protein and amino acid nutrition" (PDF). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 59 (5 Suppl): 1203S–1212S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/59.5.1203s. PMID 8172124. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  20. ^ Documentary Channel, Shanghai Media Group (3 March 2022). "Guanyin Tofu观音豆腐". YouTube. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  21. ^ Srivastava, Pranati; Malviya, Rishabha (March 2011). "Sources of pectin, extraction and its applications in pharmaceutical industry − An overview". Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources. 2 (1). India: NISCAIR-CSIR: 10–18. ISSN 0975-1033. OCLC 724554396. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  22. ^ Roth, Christopher; Malik, Suhail; Seidler, Paul; Rafferty, Penny; Noorizadeh, Bahar; Raesaar, Kristel (25 May 2022). REALTY Beyond the Traditional Blueprints of Art & Gentrification. Hatje Cantz Verlag GmbH. pp. 151–152. ISBN 9783775753432. OCLC 1372166991. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  23. ^ terra0 (16 November 2018). "Premna Daemon — An Introduction via a History of Autonomy in the Cryptosphere". Medium. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  24. ^ "terra0". github. Archived from the original on 6 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Premna Daemon – An Introduction via a History of Autonomy in the Cryptosphere". Info Institute. 9 November 2023. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
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