고전식물명 ‘杜沖’에 관한 고찰

Abstract

In Korea, the classical came of the plant ‘杜沖’ is understood and used as ‘Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.’, the name listed in the Korean Plant Names Index. These contents can be easily found in various books (An Illustrated Guide to Korean Flora, dictionaries, etc.), so there is no need to explain them. However, ‘杜沖’ in classical literatures occasionally refers to the plant that is different from ‘Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.’, which has been recognized so far. Nevertheless, most people have overlooked this problem so far. Due to the similarity of the names, the names ‘杜沖’ in classic literatures have mostly been understood as ‘Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.’. During our research on classical names of plants, we have confirmed that ‘杜沖’ in the classical literatures dose not solely refer to ‘Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.’. This article focuses on a consideration of what kind of plants the classical name ‘杜冲’ refers to. For this purpose, the data related to ‘杜冲’ shown in other literatures will be analyzed to estimate which plant is refers to currently. Also, we will provide the basis of the estimation by comparing the biological characteristics of the plant along with its distribution and form of the plant as shown in the literature. In addition, we would like to estimate how ‘杜沖’ has come to refer to other plant instead of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. in Korea. We hope that the information regarding the classical plant name ‘杜冲’ obtained through this research will be utilized as useful data for the proper interpretation of the plant name indicated in classical literatures and for the study of ethnobotany