“楂”考辨

Distinction of Word “Zha” Used as a Name of Plant in Ancient Literature of China

动植物的古今名实异同是一个极其复杂的问题。山楂是我国特有的果树 ,由于其药用价值 ,近年来颇受人们的青睐。然而山楂的“楂”字作为植物名常单独出现在古籍中 ,它所指的植物极其错综复杂 ,致使山楂在我国的栽培起源不免扑朔迷离。本文试图对古籍中用作植物名的“楂”所指的实物进行一番初步考辨 ,以期对探讨山楂以及古籍中的“楂”所指的几种植物在我国的栽培利用历史有所裨益。

Crataegus spp. is a kind of special fruit tree in China.Now “shanzha'is the chinese name of Crataegus spp.,and the word “zha'(楂) is explained Crataegus spp.in some Chinese dictionary.In ancient literature before the song dynasty,it was called“qiu',“ximei',“chizaomu'(赤瓜木), “yangqiu'(羊)etc.In those books,we can't find the “shanzha'(山楂) used as a name of plant. Since the Pre-Qin period, the word “zha' used as a name of plant appeared in ancient books of successive dynasties.It is very intricate what kind of plant the “zha'is.this problem involve the history of Crataegus spp. and some other plants concerned.We must research it before we write the history of those plants.This paper expounds and proves it initially.