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Premna microphylla

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(Redirected from Fairy tofu)
Not to be confused with Premna macrophylla.
This article is about the plant known in Chinese as fǔ pí (腐蜱). For the Chinese emperor 苻丕, see Fu Pi.

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. "micranthiformis – mitissimus". 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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