Chapter 658: Mi Hu

Chapter 658: Chapter 658: Mi Hu

"Oh, yes, this one has it... and this one too. Look, it’s already in the late protocorm stage, and you can see a distinct bud tip."

Looking through the magnifying glass, Li Xu saw that the tiny seed had indeed sprouted a tender green bud.

This meant they had found the fungus.

Shao Shicheng took a small, portable microscope out of his bag and placed the germinating seed under the lens.

"Dr. Li, take a look."

Li Xu leaned in to look.

Under the microscope, countless hair-thin filaments were entwined around the Dendrobium seeds—the hyphae of the fungus.

What was amazing was that these hyphae had already penetrated the seed’s cells, forming dense coils.

"These hyphal coils are how the fungus ’feeds’ the Dendrobium seeds."

Shao Shicheng explained, "It takes the place of the endosperm, providing the seed with sources of carbon and nitrogen. The fungus and the Dendrobium form a perfect symbiotic relationship."

"However, the vast majority of wild Dendrobium seeds aren’t so lucky. They might land in a place without this particular fungus, or they might be dried out by the wind or washed away by the rain before ever encountering it. The germination rate is less than one in ten thousand, which is why wild Dendrobium is so rare."

The three of them continued to climb.

The mountain path grew steeper, and in some places, they had to use both their hands and feet to advance.

Having worked for many years at a traditional Chinese medicine research institute, Shao Shicheng was intimately familiar with the characteristics of Dendrobium.

To prevent the genetic degradation of cultivated Dendrobium, he frequently had to venture into the wild to collect seeds from wild plants for genetic comparison and rejuvenation of the stock.

That was why he was here this time as well: to collect wild Dendrobium.

"Wild Dendrobium mostly grows on sheer cliffs. The plants themselves are small, making them very difficult to spot with the naked eye."

Shao Shicheng pointed to a distant, bare cliff face and said with a sigh, "In ancient times, to harvest a single life-saving ’celestial herb,’ herb gatherers would have to tie a rope to the summit and lower themselves down, swinging back and forth like a pendulum to get close to the Dendrobium."

"On a cliff hundreds of feet high, their lives truly hung by a thread. A sudden gust of wind or a frayed rope would mean being dashed to pieces below. Throughout history, there have been tragedies of herb gatherers falling into mountain gorges and losing their lives. This is one of the reasons the price of Dendrobium remains so high—it’s stained with the blood of those who harvested it."

Li Xu stared at the dizzying cliff, a sense of solemn respect rising within him.

However, for wild Dendrobium to grow on these sheer cliffs was no easy feat.

There was no soil and a scarcity of nutrients, only constant exposure to wind and sun.

The Dendrobium can only use its white aerial roots to cling tightly to rock crevices or tree bark, absorbing moisture and meager nutrients directly from the air.

Consequently, it requires extremely high air humidity to survive.

"Perhaps it’s this very struggle for survival that gives it such unique medicinal properties,"

Li Xu mused.

Dendrobium is known in medicine for its remarkable ability to replenish fluids and nourish the yin, as if there is some mysterious harmony between its properties and its environment.

High on the sheer cliffs, it drinks the pure wind and sips the sweet dew, far from the strife and filth of the mortal world.

The Dendrobium tenaciously grows in this unique and pure manner, concentrating the essence of heaven and earth within its stems and leaves, storing energy for its progeny while leaving behind a sacred yin-nourishing remedy for humankind.

The group continued their climb.

Huoshan, located in the heart of the Dabie Mountains, has a climate with four distinct seasons.

In winter, especially, temperatures plummet, and heavy snows often close off the mountains entirely.

Growing under such harsh natural conditions, the Huoshan Dendrobium has developed an iron constitution, giving it exceptional resistance to the cold.

At the same time, the large temperature swings between day and night in this high-altitude region have endowed the Huoshan Dendrobium with a unique growth cycle.

It grows extremely slowly, resulting in a short, delicate plant. Its stem is segmented, resembling a string of plump rice grains, which earned it the elegant nickname "Mi Hu."

All of its essence is concentrated within.

This special growth environment and long life cycle have created its unique medicinal properties, making it the crown jewel of the Dendrobium family.

However, this prestige comes with hidden troubles.

The results of the Fourth National Survey of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources, conducted between 2011 and 2022, revealed a dire situation for the wild Huoshan Mi Hu. Survey teams trekked through mountains and across ridges, yet could scarcely find a single purely wild Huoshan Dendrobium in its natural habitat.

The reasons were complex.

On one hand, the Huoshan Dendrobium was too famous and its medicinal value too high. Decades of overharvesting by humans had led to the near-total depletion of its wild population.

On the other hand, certain biological traits of the Huoshan Dendrobium itself, such as its low natural pollination rate and the difficulty its seeds have germinating, also limited its natural propagation.

After crossing a steep, weed-choked slope, Li Xu, Gao Yuan, and Shao Shicheng arrived at Huoshan’s "Medicine King Valley."

This was the core cultivation and conservation area for the Huoshan Dendrobium.

It was the peak of the Dendrobium flowering season.

In Medicine King Valley, a group of medicinal herb farmers, holding fine-tipped tweezers, were working meticulously among the flowers.

"What are they doing?"

Li Xu asked curiously.

"Artificial pollination," Shao Shicheng explained. "It’s to preserve this precious genetic line."

Flowering is a plant’s basic instinct for reproducing its species.

When flowers bloom, they release a fragrance that attracts insects to collect nectar.

It may seem like the insects are getting the better end of the deal, but they are actually helping the flowers with pollination in a mutually beneficial exchange.

However, the Dendrobium is a "proud" and finicky plant.

It flowers easily enough, but pollination is difficult, and producing seed is harder still.

Shao Shicheng pointed to a delicate, pale yellow Dendrobium flower. "You see, between its pistil and stamen, there’s a small membrane called a ’rostellum.’ This membrane acts like a wall, preventing any possibility of self-pollination. So, in a natural environment, it must rely on specific insects to be pollinated."

The stamens of the Huoshan Mi Hu flower are positioned at its highest point, with the yellow pollen masses, or pollinia, tightly protected beneath the anther cap.

The pollinia are only exposed when an external force is applied.

They must then be delivered precisely to the female pollination point—the stigma—located below it to complete the process.

However, the opening of the stigma faces downward, which greatly increases the difficulty of successful pollination.

As he spoke, a tiny ant crawled into the center of a flower.

Since the flower’s center is so small, larger insects like bees and butterflies can’t get in. Only tiny creatures like this one stand a chance.

The little ant scrambled around inside, knocking off the anther cap and exposing the yellow pollen mass.

Now, all that was needed was for the pollen mass to be transferred to the stigma below, and the mission would be a success.

Li Xu held his breath, staring intently at the ant.

But alas, the ant was just passing through. It didn’t deliver the final, crucial touch and simply crawled away.

"A failure," Shao Shicheng sighed. "Such is the cruelty of nature. An excessive self-preservation mechanism causes the Huoshan Mi Hu to lose countless opportunities for natural pollination, which is why it’s so rare."

"That’s why artificial pollination has become the best way to help the Huoshan Mi Hu propagate. With human intervention, the pollination rate can be raised from less than 10% in the wild to over 80%, greatly boosting its successful reproduction."

...

P.S. Thank you to ’A Cloud on the Horizon’ for the 233-point reward.