sagebrush, wormwood, mugwort
蓬 centers on aromatic, often weedy plants from the Artemisia genus: sagebrush, wormwood, and mugwort. These are typically bushy, hardy plants with a strong scent.
蓬 combines the grass radical 艹 with 逢, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to a specific type of weedy plant, now associated with Artemisia species.
The grass radical 艹 sits above 逢, like a bushy weed growing tall. Picture a field of aromatic sagebrush with feathery leaves.
For ホウ, imagine a hoe (ホウ) cutting through thick mugwort: the hoe sound cues ホウ while you clear the weedy plants.
Mount Penglai; Penglai Island; enchanted land of perpetual youth from Chinese mythology
Japanese mugwort (Artemisia princeps)
wasteland; area overgrown with weeds
the three sacred mountains: Fuji, Atsuta, and Kumano
Artemisia montana
horseweed (Conyza canadensis); Canadian horseweed; Canadian fleabane; coltstail; marestail; butterweed
Artemisia montana
unkempt hair and shabby clothes
Japanese mugwort (Artemisia princeps)
Chinese mugwort (Artemisia argyi); Argy wormwood; Argy's wormwood
capillary artemisia (Artemisia capillaris); yin-chen wormwood
Artemisia sieversiana
Artemisia selengensis
Mount Penglai
to to become frayed and dishevelled (of hair, grass, etc.); to be fluffy
wanderer; drifter
window with a view of a Japanese mugwort thicket
hedge bamboo (Bambusa multiplex); golden goddess bamboo
Southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris); black maidenhair fern; Venus hair fern
Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa); split-leaf philodendron; cerimen; Mexican breadfruit; fruit salad plant