Chinese character 葞

葞 names a plant in classical Chinese.

An early record appears in 《尔雅·释草》, an old Chinese guide to plant names compiled across the Warring States and early Han periods. It glosses 葞 as 春草 (“spring grass”) and links it with 莽草, 芒草, and 菵草.

Later herbals describe 莽草 as pungent and poisonous, and mention using it against insects and fish. A 2018 textual study links the old name to several kinds of Illicium, a group of related plants. So 葞 belongs to a historical plant-name tradition, not one definite modern species.