Gnaphalium affine

Taxobox
name = Gnaphalium affine

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image_width = 240px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Asterales
familia = Asteraceae
tribus = Gnaphalieae
genus = Gnaphalium
species= "G. affine"

"Gnaphalium affine" D. Don, also known as Jersey Cudweed, is a species of plants belonging to the genus "Gnaphalium". The species grows extensively in East Asia including temperate regions of China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as well as some high altitude tropical regions of India, Nepal, and Thailand cite web|title=Gnaphalium affine information from NPGS/GRIN|url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?423881]

The grass is biennial, with stems 15-40 cm long, the surface of the plant is covered with fine woolly hair and the leaves are small and rounded. The flowers appear as small florets with petal around 2mm long. cite book|title = Flora of Taiwan volume 6 |url=http://tai2.ntu.edu.tw/udth/bin/fot1.exe/browse?bid=4&page=979| year=2003| author = Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Second Edition |publisher= Department of Botany, National Taiwan University| location=Taipei, Taiwan, ROC |isbn=957-01-3492-5]

In Chinese this grass is known as "鼠麹草", in Japanese it is known as "ハハコグサ" or "母子草"". "G. affine" is one of the herbs consumed in the Japanese spring festival Nanakusa-no-sekku (seven-herbs festival).

Uses

This grass has been used traditionally in Traditional Chinese medicine and also features in the cuisine of East Asian Countries namely in sweet rice confections. They include the Japanese Kusa mochi and the Taiwanese "chhú-khak-ké" (鼠麹粿, 草仔粿).

The grass is also ground up and used to give noodles and green onion pancakes (蔥油餅) a distinctive green colour and a unique flavour. [cite web| title= 鼠麴舅 Gnaphalium purpureum L.| url=http://www.tpml.edu.tw/blind/cgi/dlpic.php?filename=9208027.txt | accessdate = 2008-02-24]

References

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