试论中国古代木帆船的舵杆用材

Helm Stock's Material of Wooden-Sailing Vessel in Ancient China

中国古代木帆船的舵杆用材遵循3个标准:相当的长度,足够的强度(硬度)及良好的耐水和防虫蛀。由此,主要采用乌婪木、铁力木和榆木作为舵杆。从植物学角度看,以乌婪木最上,铁力木次之,榆木最下;就分布地域而言,钦州为乌婪木,两广为铁力木,大江南北为榆木,其优良程度呈自南向北递减之趋势;就盛行时间而言,宋代流行乌婪木,元明清盛行铁力木,明清时期广泛使用榆木,呈自古至今递减之趋势;从经济性考虑,榆木则有物美价廉,易于寻觅之长。

For selecting helm stock's materials of wooden-sailing vessels in ancient China, three standards had to be obeyed. They were appropriate length,sufficient strength and better moth-proof property. The paper compares three main sorts of materials of the helm stocks,biosyros ebenum,mesua ferrea and ulmus pumila,and analyses their prevailing times in ancient China.