Yashong is a type of Chinese medicinal herb that is found in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Gansu, and other regions. Due to its excellent oiliness and delicacy, Yashong can be carved with intricate texture, making it a popular choice for root art collectors!
Image of Yashong
[The Value of Yashong]
Aged Yashong has a skin color that ranges from gray-black to gray-white, and Yashong that comes out of the cliff crevices also has a thick patina of nearly one centimeter, with lumps and flat pieces.
Yashong has excellent oiliness and delicacy, with the wood part ranging in color from light yellow to golden red. It can be carved with extremely delicate texture, and in my opinion, it is on par with any other existing root art material.
As a root art collectible, Yashong's most outstanding feature is its beautiful and varied texture. As mentioned earlier, Yashong's texture is larger and more three-dimensional, giving a strong sense of power. Combined with its skin color and unique texture, it has a striking impact. Moreover, its shapes are as diverse as Yacai, with clear depictions of figures and animals. It is definitely a natural root art material worth collecting.
[The Origin of Yashong]
Medicinal source: The whole plant of Sedum elatinoides, a member of the Crassulaceae family, is used.
Latin botanical and mineral names: Sedum elatinoides Franch. [S.silvestrii Pamp.]
Collection and storage: The whole plant is dug up in spring or summer, cleaned, and dried in the sun or used fresh.
[The Morphological Characteristics of Yashong]
Yashong is an annual herb with no hair on the entire plant and has a fibrous root. The stems are solitary or clustered, reaching a height of 5 to 30 centimeters. The leaves are whorled, with 3 to 5 elongated spatulate leaflets, measuring 8 to 20 millimeters in length and 2 to 4 millimeters in width. The tip is sharply pointed, and the base gradually narrows. The leaves have an entire margin and are either sessile or nearly sessile. The inflorescence is conical or umbellate, with long branches. Flowers are sparse, and flower clusters can also grow in the leaf axils of the lower part of the stem. The flower stalks are 5 to 8 millimeters long and slender. There are 5 sepals, which are narrow triangular to lanceolate. The 5 petals are white and rectangular-ovate in shape. There are 10 stamens with broad spatulate scales, and the tips have deep notches. The 5 carpels are nearly erect, with the lower part fused and small nipple-like projections. When mature, the upper half of the carpels slant outward, and there are a few tiny seeds.
