藦

mó

摩 + 艹

Definitions

mó Metaplexis stauntoni

Etymology

About

藦 is a phono-semantic compound with the grass radical 艹 on top, placing it in the plant world, and 摩 (mó) below giving the sound. It appears almost exclusively in the binomial 蘿藦 (luómó), the Japanese metaplexis or milkweed, a climbing perennial. Ancient agricultural and poetic texts, including classical commentaries on the Book of Odes, note its vine that releases a milky white sap when broken, and the character has never acquired meanings beyond this botanical sense.

Related Characters

Component: 摩