Toyon—also known as Christmas berry or California holly—is one of those plants you start noticing everywhere once you learn its name. It’s a hardy evergreen shrub native to California’s chaparral, oak woodlands, and coastal scrub, and in early summer it puts out clusters of tiny white flowers that smell a bit like hawthorn. By winter, those flowers have turned into bright red berries that birds and other wildlife absolutely love.
People have been using toyon for a long time. Indigenous Californians dried the berries for food, cooked them into porridges, and even made a stomach-soothing tea from the leaves. Later settlers got creative too, turning the fruit into jellies, custards, and even wine. The berries are a little tart and contain mild natural compounds that are neutralized with light cooking—but once prepared, they’re surprisingly versatile.
Toyon also has a bit of history behind it. In the 1920s, Christmas foraging got so out of hand in Los Angeles that the state had to pass a law to stop people from stripping branches off wild plants. And today, scientists are taking a closer look at some of toyon’s natural chemicals, which show early promise for supporting brain and inflammation research—though it’s still very much in the “interesting possibilities” stage.
柳葉石楠（也稱為聖誕莓或加州冬青）是一種一旦知道名字就會隨處可見的植物。它是一種耐寒的常綠灌木，原產於加州的灌木叢、橡樹林和沿海灌木叢。初夏時節，它會開出簇簇白色小花，散發著類似山楂的香氣。到了冬天，這些小花會結成鮮紅的漿果，深受鳥類和其他野生動物的喜愛。
人們食用柳葉石楠的梨果的歷史由來已久。加州原住民會將這種漿果曬乾食用，煮成粥，甚至用它的葉子泡茶來舒緩胃部不適。後來的拓荒殖民者也發揮了創造力，將這種水果製成果凍、蛋奶凍，甚至葡萄酒。柳葉石楠的梨果略帶酸味，含有一些溫和的天然化合物，這些化合物在輕微烹飪後即可被中和——但一旦處理得當，它的用途卻出乎意料地廣泛。
柳葉石楠的歷史也頗為悠久。在 1920 年代，洛杉磯的聖誕節採摘柳葉石楠的行為一度失控，以至於加州不得不立法禁止人們採摘野生植物的枝條。如今，科學家們正在深入研究柳葉石楠中的一些天然化學物質，這些物質在支持大腦和發炎研究方面展現出初步的潛力——雖然目前仍處於「充滿可能性」的階段。
Notes 筆記
- Toyon is a perennial shrub that forms a prominent component of the coastal sage scrub plant community and is also characteristic of drought-adapted chaparral and mixed oak woodland habitats. It is commonly known as Christmas berry and California holly.
- Toyon typically grows 2–5 meters tall and has evergreen leaves. In early summer it produces small white flowers, 6–10 mm in diameter, arranged in dense terminal corymbs. Flowering generally peaks in June.
- The shrub can be grown in domestic gardens in well-drained soil and is cultivated as an ornamental plant as far north as southern England. Its flowers are visited by butterflies and have a mild, hawthorn-like scent, while its bright red fruits are eaten by many species of birds and mammals.
- The pomes historically provided food for Native American tribes, who dried and stored them or cooked them into porridges and pancakes. The fruits can also be made into a jelly. Indigenous peoples prepared tea from the leaves as a remedy for stomach ailments, a use well documented in ethnobotanical records. Later settlers used the fruits in dishes such as custards and wine.
- Toyon pomes are naturally acidic and astringent and contain small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides, which can release hydrocyanic acid during digestion. Mild cooking neutralizes these compounds and improves flavor.
- In the 1920s, collecting toyon branches for Christmas decorations became so widespread in Los Angeles that the State of California passed a law prohibiting the gathering of plants on public land—or on private land without written permission from the owner.
- Recent scientific research has identified several biologically active compounds in toyon, including icariside-type molecules that show potential neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. While these findings suggest possible relevance for future Alzheimer’s-related drug development, such investigations remain preliminary and do not reflect traditional Indigenous medicinal uses.
- 柳葉石楠是一種多年生灌木，是沿海鼠尾草灌叢植物群落的重要組成部分，也是耐旱灌叢和混合櫟林生境的典型植物。它俗稱聖誕莓和加州冬青。
- 柳葉石楠通常高 2-5 公尺，葉片常綠。初夏時節，它會開出直徑 6-10 公釐的小白花，密集排列成頂生傘房花序。花期通常在六月達到高峰。
- 這種灌木可以在排水良好的土壤中種植於家庭花園裡，並作為觀賞植物栽培，分佈範圍北至英格蘭南部。它的花朵吸引蝴蝶，散發著淡淡的、類似山楂的香味，而它鮮紅的果實則是許多鳥類和哺乳動物的食物。
- 有史以來梨果曾是美洲原住民部落的食物來源，他們將梨果曬乾儲存，或煮成粥和薄餅。梨果還可以製成果凍。原住民曾用梨果葉泡茶，用於治療胃病，這一用途在民族植物學記錄中得到了充分記載。後來的殖民者則將梨果用於製作蛋奶凍和葡萄酒等菜餚中。
- 柳葉石楠的梨果酸澀，含有少量氰苷，消化過程中會釋放氫氰酸。輕微烹調可以中和這些化合物，並改善其風味。
- 1920 年代，在洛杉磯，收集柳葉石楠樹枝作為聖誕裝飾品的風氣非常盛行，以至於加州通過了一項法律，禁止在公共土地上採集植物，或在未經所有者書面許可的情況下在私人土地上採集植物。
- 近期科學研究在柳葉石楠中發現了多種生物活性化合物，包括具有潛在神經保護和抗發炎特性的淫羊藿苷類分子。雖然這些發現意味著其可能與未來阿茲海默症相關藥物的研發相關，但此類研究仍處於初步階段，並未顯示傳統的原住民藥用價值。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Heteromeles
- 維基百科: 柳葉石楠
Plants Posts 植物的帖子
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