A treasure trove of biodiversity, a home to wild vegetable culture
Recording the value of 'grass'

This is the second book in the 『Encyclopedia of Korean Plant Ecology』 series, which examines the life and society of plants by habitat.
Volume 2 deals with the grassland, a plant community formed under the blazing sun.
Unlike plants that live in shady forests, plants that live in grasslands have formed unique societies that can withstand the scorching sun.


The plant diversity per unit area of ​​grassland is richer than that of forests.
This is why many regions and countries are focusing on grasslands as biodiversity hotspots.
There is one more special reason why we should care about grass.
This is because the 'wild vegetable culture', which cannot be found in any other country in the world, originated from grasslands.
The uniqueness of 'namul', whose meaning cannot be fully expressed in any other language, can be seen in the grass.

We selected 208 species of plants living in grasslands and introduced a total of 501 species by covering related plants together.
The description of each species is meticulously recorded in four major categories: morphological classification, ecological classification, name dictionary, and eco-note. The history and cultural history of grass plants are also richly explained.

It is a ‘habitat of life’ that is completely different from grasslands and forests.
The forest is dark, the grass is always bright.
If darkness is the regulator of life for forest plants, then in the grassland, intense direct sunlight fundamentally controls life.
--- p.10

Although we habitually use the term 'tiger', it is damaging the dignity and roots of the Korean word 'beom'.
The first word 'tiger' appears in the 1459 『Wolinseokbo』 along with the word 'lion'. Here, the two characters 'ho' (虎) and 'rang' (狼) refer to 'beom' (虎) and 'wili' (狼), respectively, and not to a single species of tiger as is the case today.
At the end of the Joseon Dynasty in the 19th century, when the country was on the verge of collapse, a Westerner published 『Jinri Pyeondok Samjagyeong』, where a tiger turned into a tigress.
--- p.31

When rabbit grass is eaten, it releases cyanide (HCN) from the wounds it leaves behind.
Those with a distinct 'V' shaped white pattern on the leaf surface do so.
Even a small amount of cyanide can cause confusion in light-weight snails and grasshoppers.
The fact that groups of clover with 'V'-shaped patterns are more abundant and common in the wild is a natural result of leaf-eating groups avoiding them.
--- p.167

We become barbarians by committing barbarian acts, not by being called barbarian by others.
This is why I cannot abandon the delicious name ‘Barbarian Flower’ rather than the name ‘Violet Flower’ which I do not understand.
--- p.276

Typically, the parasitic process, in which the seeds of a parasitic plant awaken from dormancy, germinate, and continue to produce parasitic roots, begins only when the host plant releases a chemical signal that will accept the parasite.
For example, the parasite's choice is not its own, but entirely dependent on the host's choice.
So, I don't think it's right to blame parasites as being all bad.
They just live together with the consideration and generosity of the host.
It is a misunderstanding to think that Yago lives by stealing other people's hard work.
There is no shamelessness or timidity in the natural ecosystem.
All are absolutely interdependent.
--- p.378

Doraji is a pure Korean word.
The first written characters are 刀?次 and 都羅次 (doracha), which are borrowed from the Chinese characters that represent the sound of doraji.
In the early 15th century, 『Hyangyak Gugeupbang』 conveyed the Chinese character Gilgyeong (吉梗) in a vulgar rhyme.
In Korean, the first recorded use of 'Dorat' was in the late 15th century in the 『Gugeungganibang』.
After that, Do-eul-ajil, Do-al-at, and Do-eul-la-jil are recorded.
Therefore, it does not originate from the Idu style name Doracha (道羅次).
Doracha (道羅次) is the Idu transcription of the pure Korean word doraji, which our ancestors called since the time when the Korean alphabet did not exist.
--- p.414

The history of using mugwort as a folk medicine is very long.
A boy who was suffering from malaria and was dying was cured by his mother's loving treatment with the scent of mugwort.
This is a story from my childhood in a mountain village in Yeongyang in the mid-1960s.
--- p.426

The original name of the dogwood, 'Taeng-al', comes from the texture and shape of its roots.
In the early 19th century, the notation '알알' appears in the 『Mulmyeonggo』.
It suggests that it may come from a tangled root.
When the rhizome gets old, it becomes hard, and when it dries, it has a slightly odor, but when the root is dug up, it is slightly thick and plump.
The common name 地加乙 (地加乙) and the local name ?加乙 (태가을) recorded in the 1417 Hyangyak Gugeupbang were written using Chinese characters, and were written from the beginning as tangle in tangle.
--- p.443

The reason chives are considered one of the oldest wild vegetables of Koreans is because they are commonly found growing in crevices of limestone rocks on the Korean Peninsula.
Paleolithic people who lived in caves in limestone regions could not help but recognize the peculiar aroma of chives from early on.
Although chives are commonly cultivated today and are known to be native to China, this is a mistake made without any knowledge of the true nature of chives' native habitat.
--- p.541

The long feathers of a pine tree have a four-dimensional structure.
First of all, it looks like a thin but strong wire.
It is more than 10 times longer than the ear of Isaac, and is bent two or three times at large or small angles.
In addition, the lower surface of the cap has a groove that goes to the left like a screw, and there are many strong hairs like thorns.
Finally, it twists to the left like a rope with a neighboring skein, forming a strong wire.
The moment the ear of Isaac lightly touches the soft ground, it turns 'right' and digs into the soil like an excavator.
This is because the long hairs that rise into the air create a large circle due to centrifugal force, creating rotational force.
It digs into the soil with strong rotational force, but the ear of grain is not damaged.
This is because the part of the head of the ear that touches the ground is covered with tough hairs.
It truly seems like a 'godly stroke' to see the dispersal and settlement of the pine tree's seeds.

--- pp.673-674