中国兰花起源考

The Origin of the Chinese Orchid

兰花是我国传统名花,深受人们重视和喜爱。但对屈原时代所说“兰”是否即是或包括后来人们所说兰花,宋以来聚讼纷纭,莫衷一是,迄今未能圆满解决。屈原所说“兰”乃菊科泽兰属植物,汉以来称作“兰草”,与同类蕙草等统归“香草”,以鲜明的药用、香用价值著称。而今所言兰花为兰科兰属春兰、蕙兰等观赏植物,始见于北宋中叶,所谓《楚辞》与唐五代作品已有兰花的信息均不可靠。宋仁宗嘉祐二年(1057),宋祁《益州方物略记》所载石蝉花是最早的兰花信息。宋神宗元丰(1078—1085)以来,周师厚《洛阳花木记》与苏辙、吕大防、黄庭坚等人诗文作品陆续记载和吟咏兰花,主要见于巴蜀、荆湘、江南以及中原洛阳等地。至北宋末年,兰花已广为人知。兰花与古之兰草同为草本而具芳香气息,出现之初多见于澧州(治今湖南常德澧县)、鼎州(治今湖南常德)、江陵(治今湖北荆州)等楚国核心地区,生长又多见于山野幽谷之地,与《楚辞》所言“沅有芷兮澧有兰”“幽兰”等说法多有对应与契合。而此时传统兰草的生活应用衰落,人们日常接触较少,认识模糊,花卉种植欣赏的兴趣却明显高涨。因而新出兰花得以直接袭用“兰”名而喧宾夺主,完成了从实用香草到观赏兰花的形象转换,并直接承袭古兰“香草”的“比德”功能和文化意义,迅速上升为与梅菊、松竹等齐名比肩的传统名花。

Orchid is a traditional and beloved flower in China.However,there has been much debate since the Song Dynasty about whether the lan mentioned in the time of Qu Yuan refers to or includes the orchid later known to people,and a satisfactory conclusion has yet to be reached.The lan mentioned by Qu Yuan is a plant of the Asteraceae family,known as“lan grass”since the Han Dynasty,and is classified as“herb”with similar plants such as“hui grass,”known for their distinct medicinal and aromatic value.The orchid referred to today,such as the chunlan and huilan of the Orchidaceae family,first appeared in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty.Therefore,the information about orchid in the Chu Ci and the works of the Tang and Five Dynasties is not reliable.In the second year reign of the Jiayou of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty(1057),the Yizhou Fangwu Lueji by Song Qi recorded that the Shi Chan flower in Yizhou(now Chengdu,Sichuan Province)was the earliest information about orchid.Since the reign of Yuanfeng of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty(1078-1085),Zhou Shihou’s Luoyang Huamuji and writings by Su Zhe,Lv Dafang,Huang Tingjian and others have successively recorded and chanted orchid,mainly found in places such as Bashu,Jingxiang,Jiangnan,and Luoyang in the Central Plains.By the end of the Northern Song Dynasty,orchid had become widely known.The orchid and lan grass are both herbaceous and fragrant,and initially appeared mainly in the core areas of the Chu State such as Lizhou(now Li County,Changde,Hunan Province),Dingzhou(now Changde,Hunan Province),and Jiangling(now Jingzhou,Hubei Province).They were also often found growing in secluded valleys and mountains,corresponding and consistent with the descriptions in the Chu Ci such as“There is zhi grass by the River Yuan,and there is lan flower by the River Li”and“secluded lan flower.”At this time,the traditional application of lan grass has declined,with less daily contact and a blurred understanding among people.However,there has been a significant increase in interest in planting and appreciating flowers,and as a result,the newly emerged orchid have directly adopted the name“lan.”This completed the transformation of orchid from practical herbs to ornamental flowers,and directly inherited the figurative function and cultural significance of fragrant ancient Lan grass,quickly rising to the same level as traditional famous plants such as Mei flower,Chrysanthemum,pine and bamboo.