“天花蕈”名实考证

Study of the Name and Entity of tianhua xun

天花蕈在中国古籍中有多处记载,又名"天花"、"天花菜"、"天花菌"、"天花蘑菇(摩姑)"等,产自五台山、雁门和庐山等地。天花蕈因其气香味美,自北宋起即被进贡给皇室享用,其后历朝如是。然而由于大部分相关记载不涉及外观描述,因此较难判断其究为何物。通过对相关史料加以综合考察,认为"天花蕈"名称中的"天花"取自佛经中常见的"天花"一词,其气味馨香;天花蕈的本来面目并非平菇,而是香杏口蘑。

Tianhua xun, also documented in ancient Chinese books as tianhua, tianhua cai, tianhua jun and tianhua mogu, grows in Wutai Mountain, Yanmen and Lu Mountain. Due to its sweet flavor and taste, tianhua xun had been contributed to the royal family from the Northern Song Dynasty and so thereafter. Most of the correlative records of tianhua xun don＇t refer to its appearance, which makes it difficult to judge what it is. Some of the scholars think it belongs to the genus Pleurotus ostreatus, but their arguments are not convincible enough. With a comprehensive study of relevant historical documents, this paper argues that tianhua derives from Buddhist Scriptures, which is known for the fragrance. Tianhua xun is essentially not pleurotus ostreatus but tricholoma gambosum.