In Mahua Village, Binchuan County, Dali, Yunnan Province, I saw local mushroom pickers searching in the virgin forest. Locals call it lung grass. What is this?

According to the information you provided, this plant, which is called the heart grass by the local people, may be a snake. Agkistrodon acutus is a kind of plant parasitic on the roots of woody plants in forests, mainly distributed in Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Taiwan Province and other provinces in southern China.

The morphological characteristics of Agkistrodon acutus are irregular and massive rhizomes, reddish-brown or dark-brown spots on the surface, and thick and scaly shells. The stems are usually purple-red, sometimes greenish, with lenticels and shapes like lotus root silk. Leaves alternate, usually 2-6, ovate or elliptic, leathery, entire, smooth surface. Flowers dioecious, male inflorescence cylindrical, female inflorescence spherical or oblate. Fruit nut-shaped, oval or ovoid.

In Mahua Village, Binchuan County, Dali, Yunnan Province, it is possible that this snake was found while picking mushrooms in the virgin forest. The locals call it lung heart grass, probably because Agkistrodon halys has certain medicinal value and can be used to treat lung diseases and heart diseases.

If you have a deeper understanding of snake, please feel free to ask questions.