Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica (Vol. 30)

Prickly Juniper Cibai

The leaves of the Prickly Juniper are like needles that prick people. Gardeners often prune its leaves and twist its trunk to make potted bonsai ornaments. It is also called Prickly Pine.

The Shuowen Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters describes the Zong a fine-grained wood. Duan’s commentary notes that the Zong appears in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. In the Nandu Fu Rhapsody on the Southern Capital, Guo says the Zong resembles a pine but has prickles and fine grain. Liu Yuanlin’s commentary on the Shudu Fu Rhapsody on the Capital of Shu states that the Xie resembles a pine and has prickles; the Xie is likely a corruption of Zong. I note that the grain of this wood is extremely firm and dense, but its leaves are merely thorny. In Wutai, there is a Larch that has prickles and can poison people. This is currently missing from the local gazetteers.