Premna microphylla explained

Premna microphylla should not be confused with Premna macrophylla.

Premna microphylla is a tree in the mint family (Lamiaceae).

Names

P. microphylla has the English common names Japanese premna,[1] (Japanese) musk maple,[2] and Japanese neem tree. It is also called tofu tree because of the tofu-like food made from the leaves.[3]

The specific epithet microphylla derives from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: μικροϛ and Greek, Modern (1453-);: φυλλον and means 'small leaves'.[4] The name for the genus Premna derives from the Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: πρέμνον (tree stump) refers to the short trunks that some species have.

In Japanese it is called Japanese: ハマクサギ .[5] In China, it is known as Chinese: 豆腐柴 ('tofu wood'), Chinese: 斑鸠树 ('turtledove tree'), Chinese: 臭黄荆 ('stinky yellow thorn'), Chinese: 腐蜱 ('rotten tick'), and Chinese: 观音草 ('Guanyin grass').[6] In Taiwan it is called [7] The plant is called in Vietnamese.[8] [9]

Uses

P. microphylla is used for food. The leaves can be used to make a pectin-rich gel that is something like tofu.[10] The jelly is similar to grass jelly but it not usually called that, unlike other grass jelly plants. This green gel is called Chinese: 神仙豆腐 (, immortal/divine tofu) or Chinese: 观音豆腐 (, Guanyin tofu). In English it is sometimes called green leaf tofu. A similar 'fairy tofu' is made from the leaves of Premna puberula.[11] The leaves are high in protein (13.48%), 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%).[12] [13] To make the 'tofu', the leaves are washed and crushed with some water to facilitate grinding. Culinary ash is added to the strained mixture and it is allowed to set. Some cooks use burn specific wood for the ash, such as Osmanthus.[14] The dish is considered a refreshing summer treat. Production is small and local, and not done on an industrial scale.

Much effort has been made to develop P. microphylla as an industrial source of pectin. The leaves contain 30-40% pectin, much higher than the typical sources, apple pomace (10-15%) and citrus peel (20-30%).[15]

The plant is also used for bonsai because of its small, strong-smelling leaves. The bonsai trunks are evocative of driftwood, similar to shimpaku juniper.[16] A specimen of P. microphylla was used as an autonomous bonsai in the art installation titled Premna Daemon.[17] [18] [19] [20]

Description

P. microphylla is a tree[5] and has square, woody, mostly smooth stems and branches. The plant reaches 2–6 m in height, and ~3 m wide. It grows and a nanophanerophyte or phanerophyte.

The leaves are sessile, ovate-lanceolate in shape and tapered near the tip. The leaves grow in an opposite pattern. The leaf margins are serrate from the middle to the apex. Both sides of the leaves are scabrous and covered with very short 'hairs'. The leaves have a strong odor that has been compared to those Serissa.

The flowers are hermaphroditic and grow in conical panicles. The 5-part calyx is short, cup-shaped, and purplish-green. The calyx surrounds a funnel-shaped corolla that is pale yellow. The petals are long. The cream-colored and zygomorphic flowers bloom in May and August[5]

The drupe is obovate to nearly spherical and purple-black when ripe.

Major compounds found in the essential oil include blumenol c, β-cedrene, limonene, α-guaiene, cryptone, and α-cyperone.[21]

Distribution

The plant is found in southern China, central and southern Japan,[5] and Taiwan. The type specimen was collected by Scottish botanist and plant hunter Robert Fortune in China. It prefers growing in slightly acidic to acidic soil mainly on woodland edges or understory at an altitude of in elevation.

Ecology

The growing season is yearly from March to November. The pollination syndrome for P. microphylla is melittophily, with bee and wasp pollinators including Xylocopa amamensis, Cerceris yuwanensis, and Hylaeus insularum.[5] There are no major diseases or insect pests known. There is some evidence that sika deer will nibble on the tree occasionally.[22]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Yang . Xinrong . Encyclopedic Reference of Traditional Chinese Medicine . 9 March 2013 . Springer Berlin Heidelberg . 9783662051771 . 325 . en . 1012445569 . 3 July 2024 . 6 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706172709/https://books.google.com/books?id=62n7CAAAQBAJ . live .
  2. Web site: Premna microphylla . Missouri Botanical Garden . 3 July 2024 . St. Louis, MO . en . 6 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220506231804/https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=359365 . live .
  3. Web site: Goldthread . The Tofu That Grows On Trees . YouTube . 30 November 2018 . RADII . 7 July 2024 . en.
  4. Web site: Griffith . Chuck . micranthiformis – mitissimus . Dictionary of Botanical Epithets . 3 July 2024 . en . 14 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230614015220/http://botanicalepithets.net/dictionary/dictionary.121.html . live .
  5. Kato . Makoto . Anthophilous insect community and plant-pollinator interactions on Amami Islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan . Contributions from the Biological Laboratory, Kyoto University . 31 March 2000 . 29 . 2 . 157–254 . en . 2433/156116 . 0452-9987 . 957900493. 10.1.1.861.2315.
  6. LI . Mei-qing . WANG . Yuan-li . DONG . Ming . HE . Jin-ling . 豆腐柴的研究与应用综述 . Science and Technology of Food Industry . 2011 . 3 . 462–464 . 10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2011.03.029 . 3 July 2024 . Summarization of research and application of Premna microphylla Turcz . zh . 1002-0306 . 3 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240703214233/http://www.spgykj.com/en/article/doi/10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2011.03.029 . live .
  7. Web site: Chung . KF . Shao . KT . The National Checklist of Taiwan (Catalogue of Life in Taiwan, TaiCoL) . 3 July 2024 . en . 17 August 2022 . 6 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706172712/https://ipt.taibif.tw/resource?r=taibnet_com_all&v=1.9 . live .
  8. Web site: Premna microphylla Turcz. . Vietnam Plant Data Center . BotanyVN – Botany Research and Development Group of Vietnam . 3 July 2024 . en . Scientific name: Premna microphylla Turcz. Vietnamese name: Cách lá nhỏ . 8 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200808063541/http://botanyvn.com/cnt.asp?param=edir&v=Premna%20microphylla&list=species&lg=en . live .
  9. Book: Văn Chi Võ . Sách tra cứu tên cây cỏ Việt Nam . 2007 . 271047166 . Nhà xuất bản Giáo dục . 6 July 2024 . vi.
  10. LI . Gang-feng . YAN . Hong-bo . KANG . Ming . WANG . Huan . HE . Zhi-jun . ZHOU . Qiang-ying . ZHANG . Hua-min . 豆腐柴叶豆腐的加工工艺优化 . 食品研究与开发 . 19 February 2017 . 38 . 14 . 68–74 . 10.3969/j.issn.1005-6521.2017.14.015 . 3 July 2024 . Optimization of Processing Technology of Premna microphylla Turcz Leaf Tofu . zh . 1005-6521 . 6 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706172717/http://www.tjfrad.com.cn/html/2017/14/201714015.htm . live .
  11. Zhang. Ming-Sheng. 2012-09-28. A Key Component Determination on Forming Fairy Tofu from the Leaf of Premna puberula (Verbenaceae). Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. 10.7324/JAPS.2012.2906. free.
  12. Book: Steinke, Waggle . vanc . New protein foods in human health: nutrition, prevention and therapy. CRC Press. 1992. 91–100. 978-0-8493-6904-9. etal.
  13. Young VR, Pellett PL . Plant proteins in relation to human protein and amino acid nutrition . The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . 59 . 5 Suppl . 1203S–1212S . May 1994 . 8172124 . 10.1093/ajcn/59.5.1203s . 6 July 2024 . 28 April 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200428173157/https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-pdf/59/5/1203S/24113861/1203s.pdf . live .
  14. Web site: . Guanyin Tofu观音豆腐 . YouTube . 7 July 2024 . Mar 3, 2022.
  15. Srivastava . Pranati . Malviya . Rishabha . Sources of pectin, extraction and its applications in pharmaceutical industry − An overview . Indian Journal of Natural Products and Resources . March 2011 . 2 . 1 . 10–18 . 6 July 2024 . NISCAIR-CSIR . India . en . 0975-1033 . 724554396.
  16. Book: Chan . Peter . The Bonsai Bible The Definitive Guide to Choosing and Growing Bonsai . 8 September 2014 . Octopus . 9781784720063 . 3 July 2024 . en . 897024475 . 6 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706172712/https://books.google.com/books?id=nhKABAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Premna%20microphylla%22%20%22bonsai%22&pg=PT448#v=onepage&q=%22Premna%20microphylla%22%20%22bonsai%22&f=false . live .
  17. Book: Roth . Christopher . Malik . Suhail . Seidler . Paul . Rafferty . Penny . Noorizadeh . Bahar . Raesaar . Kristel . REALTY Beyond the Traditional Blueprints of Art & Gentrification . 25 May 2022 . Hatje Cantz Verlag GmbH . 9783775753432 . 151–152 . 3 July 2024 . en . 1372166991 . 21 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230521213549/https://books.google.com/books?id=sPO9EAAAQBAJ . live .
  18. Web site: ((terra0)) . Premna Daemon — An Introduction via a History of Autonomy in the Cryptosphere . Medium . 3 July 2024 . en . 16 November 2018 . 23 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240223011935/https://terra0.medium.com/premna-daemon-an-introduction-via-a-history-of-autonomy-in-the-cryptosphere-3cee15e92fe2 . live .
  19. Web site: terra0 . github . 3 July 2024 . en . 6 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706172712/https://github.com/terra0project/source?tab=readme-ov-file#premna-daemon-%EF%B8%8F- . live .
  20. Web site: Premna Daemon – An Introduction via a History of Autonomy in the Cryptosphere . Info Institute . 9 November 2023 . 3 July 2024 . en . 5 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705162842/https://generalrelativity.org/blog/premna-daemon-an-introduction-via-a-history-of-autonomy-in-the-cryptosphere/ . live .
  21. Zhang . Han-Yu . Gao . Yang . Lai . Peng-Xiang . Tzakou . Olga . Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Essential Oil from Premna microphylla Turczaninow . Molecules . March 2017 . 22 . 3 . 381 . 10.3390/molecules22030381 . free . 28264507 . en . 6155397 . 7181596296 .
  22. Terada . Chisato . Tatsuzawa . Shirow . Kawamura . Takashi . Fujioka . Masahiro . ヤクシカの餌場としての林道脇植生の評価 . 保全生態学研究 (Japanese Journal of Conservation Ecology) . 15 February 2010 . 15 . 197 . 10.18960/hozen.15.2_193 . 7 July 2024 . Evaluation of forestry roads as feeding sites of sika deer . ja . 2424-1431 . 9658348117.

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