"Guan, guan, cries the osprey, on the islet in the river..." This poem "Guan Ju" is surely familiar to everyone by now, and it vividly depicts a scene of a young woman gathering yellow floatingheart by the river in the spring light. Yellow floatingheart is a kind of wild vegetable. It is clear that the practice of gathering wild vegetables has existed since ancient times. In the past, perhaps it was to fill the stomach, whilein today's world of advanced material civilization, wild vegetables have become popular again, more because of their unique taste and people's spiritual longing to return to nature.In the fine spring light, calling friends and companions to go gather wild vegetables in the mountains and grasslands is truly one of life's pleasures.

But gathering wild vegetables also requires great care. If wild vegetables are confused with other similar but poisonous plants, the result may be poisoning in mild cases or a threat to life in severe cases.

According to reports from The Asahi Shimbun and NHK television, this month in Yamanashi Prefecture, 5 people mistook daffodils for Chinese chives, ate them, and developed symptoms of poisoning. Every year around this time, cases of poisoning caused by mistakenly eating toxic plants continue to occur. Among the plants that are easily confused,the cases of mistaking Chinese chives for daffodils and ramsons for autumn crocus are especially numerous.

Left is Chinese chives, right is daffodil

Just recently, a 70-year-old man in Hokkaido, Japan, mistakenly usedautumn crocus from his own yard as the spring seasonal wild vegetable ramsons (that is, wild Chinese chives) in cooking, and after he and his wife ate it, they immediately vomited and had diarrhea. After being taken to the hospital, the wife was saved, but the man died.

Both belong to the Liliaceae family, grow in the same season, and have extremely similar leaves, so autumn crocus and ramsons are indeed easy to confuse.

Autumn crocus

Scientific name: Colchicum autumnale L.

Liliaceae, Colchicum genus

Autumn crocus blooms in autumn. Its flowering period is June to August.In bud, the flower shape is spindle-like; it blooms in pale pinkish purple or purplish red, funnel-shaped, delicate and bright, dignified and elegant.Native to Europe and the Mediterranean coast, it has been deeply loved since seeds and bulbs were introduced from abroad starting in the 1970s, and it is commonly used in gardens for rock gardens or flowerbed planting.

Its flower meaning is simplicity; this isbecause autumn crocus waits until all its leaves have withered and fallen before it blooms. The flowers grow close to the ground, and it has the reputation ofunderground flower.

Yet such a beautiful flower has a "viper's heart."In the flowers and corms of autumn crocus there are many highly toxic alkaloids; oral intake of 6 mg of colchicine can cause death. Its toxicity can be compared to arsenic.After mistaken ingestion, there will be burning in the throat, diarrhea, cardiovascular collapse, delirium, sensory disturbance, convulsions, muscle weakness, and difficulty breathing. 50% of poisoned people die. The onset time is 2-6 hours, and death occurs within 2-3 days. The poisoned person remains conscious until death. If accidental ingestion occurs, send the person to the hospital immediately.

Ramsons

Scientific name: Allium victorialis

Liliaceae, Allium genus

Ramsons is also called hancong and shancong. Because its leaves resemble a deer's ears, it is also called deer-ear onion. It is what we commonly call wild Chinese chives. "Qianjin Shizhi" records that itsnature and flavor are "pungent, slightly warm, non-toxic." It has the effects of stopping bleeding, dispersing blood stasis, resolving phlegm, and relieving pain.

In spring and summer, people gather the young seedlings and tender leaves of ramsons and use them in soup, pickles, dumplings, or even eaten raw; they are crisp, tender, and delicious, leaving an endless aftertaste. In Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States, it is a precious ingredient used in cooking.

To distinguish ramsons from autumn crocus,first smell the odor: ramsons gives off an odor similar to Chinese chives. Second, the stem of ramsons is purplish red, while autumn crocus is not.

It is the turn of spring and summer, a good season for gathering wild vegetables. Being able to go looking for wild vegetables is certainly one of life's pure pleasures, butyou must distinguish them carefully and gather prudently, so as not to eat them by mistake.