Where is Pinellia ternata grown? A complete list of the latest production regions
Pinellia ternata, also known as Diwen and Shoutian, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Araceae family. It is widely distributed across the Yangtze River basin in China as well as the Northeast and North China regions, and is also found in Tibet at an altitude of about 3000 m. Below, the editor will introduce where Pinellia ternata is grown!
Production regions of Pinellia ternata
Pinellia ternata is mainly distributed in Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Sichuan and Gansu; it is also distributed in Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Hebei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan.
Pinellia ternata is mainly produced in Wuchang, Laohekou, Xiangyang, Yangxin and Tianmen in Hubei; Runan, Lingbao, Lushi, Mianchi, Xixian, Huaibin and Tanghe in Henan; Huaining, Xuancheng, Ningguo, Funan and Yingshang in Anhui; Jinxiang, Juye, Jiaonan, Wulian and Laiyang in Shandong; and Suining, Anyue, Wanxian, Zhaojue, Yuechi, Bishan, Longchang, Rongchang, Zhongxian and Yingshan in Sichuan.
The ecological environment of Pinellia ternata
1. Temperature: When the average ground temperature is around 10°C, Pinellia ternata sprouts and emerges; when the average air temperature reaches 15°C-27°C, Pinellia ternata grows most luxuriantly. In some parts of China, starting in mid-July, as the plum rain season ends and temperatures rise, the maximum temperature often exceeds 35°C, and the growth of Pinellia ternata is severely affected. Without shade, the aboveground parts of Pinellia ternata die off one after another, forming a summer dieback. The suitable temperature for the growth of Pinellia ternata is 23°C-29°C.<br>
2. Humidity: Pinellia ternata is not drought-tolerant and prefers to grow in soil with relatively high humidity. We once surveyed a high-yield field of Pinellia ternata in Zhongxing Town, Shan County, where the average tuber yield reached 1500 kg. The variety was the Heze-produced “narrow three-leaf Pinellia ternata”, which had almost no obvious dieback throughout the year, and even in the peak of summer its growth was very vigorous. One of the main measures was to insist on furrow irrigation with well water once every evening in summer, which both kept the soil moist and lowered the soil temperature, achieving two goals at once. Pinellia ternata both likes water and fears water. When soil moisture exceeds a certain limit, growth instead becomes poor, causing root rot, stem rot, dieback and death, and tuber yield declines.<br>
3. Light: Pinellia ternata is shade-tolerant rather than shade-loving. Under conditions of moderate shading, it can grow luxuriantly. However, if light is too strong, Pinellia ternata finds it hard to survive. A semi-shaded environment is preferable, and the number of bulbils and tuber weight gain can reach their maximum.
The legend of the origin of Pinellia ternata
It is said that long ago there was a girl named Baixia. While cutting grass in the fields, she dug up the underground tuber of a plant. Because she was unbearably hungry, she tried putting the tuber in her mouth and chewing it, wanting to fill her stomach with it. Unexpectedly, after eating it she vomited. She quickly chewed a piece of ginger to stop the vomiting, and the vomiting stopped. Unexpectedly, even a long-standing cough that had been hard to cure was also cured. So Baixia boiled this medicine together with ginger into a soup to treat the coughs of the villagers, and the effect was very good. However, the tuber of this plant contains abundant sap and must be washed many times before it can be used. One day, while washing this medicine by the river, Baixia accidentally slipped into the river and died. To commemorate her, the local people named this medicine “Baixia”. Later, people also discovered that Baixia was harvested in summer and autumn, and as time passed, “Baixia” was gradually changed to “Pinellia ternata”.