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(From the *Kaibao Bencao* of the Song Dynasty)

[Correction] Transferred from the Wood category to this category.

[Names] The tree is named Gulangmu (Gulang Tree, from *Linhai Yiwu Zhi*), Mianmu (Flour Tree, from *Qielan Ji*), Dongzong (Dong Palm, from Yang Shen's *Zhiyan*), and Temu (Iron Tree).
Li Shizhen said: Its wood resembles Areca nut (*Betel Nut*) but is smooth and glossy, hence the name Guanglang. "Gulang" is a phonetic error. "Mian" (Flour) refers to its starch; "Tie" (Iron) refers to its hardness.

[Collection of Explanations] Su Song said: Guanglang trees are found in the two Guang regions (Guangdong and Guangxi), and people also plant them in courtyards.
Its wood is harder than that of the Palmyra palm (*Borassus flabellifer*). When cut open, starch is extracted from the interior; large quantities can reach several *shi* (a unit of volume/weight), and consuming it prevents hunger. Its bark is extremely soft and tough, suitable for making ropes.
Its fruits grow in spikes at the top of the trunk and can be harvested at any time. Note: Liu Xun's *Lingbiao Luyi* states: Guanglang trees have lush branches and leaves, slightly different from Areca nuts. However, there are fibrous strands under the leaves resembling coarse horsehair tails. People in Guangzhou harvest these to weave headscarves; when soaked in saltwater, they swell and become tough. Locals use them to bind sea ships without nails or thread. The wood is like bamboo, purple-black, with grain and hardness. Artisans split it to make Go boards. There is flour-like powder in the bark, which can be made into cakes for food.
Zang Qi said: According to *Linhai Yiwu Zhi*: Gulang trees grow in valleys. The outer bark has scattered hairs like the Palmyra palm. Its wood is hard and sharp as iron, usable for making sickles and hoes; it becomes sharper when damp, though the core rots easily. Such is the mutual restraint of things. The bark contains white powder similar to rice flour and wheat flour, which can be made into cakes.
Li Shizhen said: Guanglang is found in the Two Guangs, Jiaozhou, and Shu. According to Guo Yigong's *Guang Zhi*: Large trees are four or five *wei* (circumference units) thick and five or six *zhang* high, straight with no side branches. Dozens of leaves grow at the apex, splitting like palm leaves. The wood flesh is hard; cutting a few inches deep yields reddish-yellow starch, which is edible.
Furthermore, Gu's *Haicha Lu* records: The trunk of the Guanglang tree is straight like fir, resembling Palmyra palm, coconut, Areca nut, Persian date, and Gusun trees, but slightly different. It has nodes like large bamboo. Several branches emerge from the treetop, flowering into green spikes. Fruits resemble green pearls, with each spike containing no less than a hundred seeds. A single tree may have nearly a hundred such spikes, hanging roundly like an umbrella, very lovely. Its wood is the heaviest, colored like rosewood but with more grain. Foreign merchant ships used it to replace iron spears, with very sharp tips. Gusun is also a tree name, usable for walking sticks, also known as Husan.

Fruit
[Properties and Flavor] Bitter, neutral, non-toxic.
[Indications] Breaks up old blood stasis (from *Kaibao Bencao*).

Starch (Referring to Guanglang flour)
[Properties and Flavor] Sweet, neutral, non-toxic.
[Indications] Made into cakes and roasted, it tastes rich and delicious, prevents hunger, tonifies deficiency and emaciation, loss and weakness, and weakness of the waist and legs. Long-term consumption lightens the body and enables fasting (recorded by Li Zhizhi).