Nepenthes must be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a plant whose name is related to "pig". In the mountains of Sichuan, there is a plant named wintergreen barberry (Hao zhu ci). It gets its name from the fact that it is covered with prickles, like a porcupine.

Wintergreen barberry is a shrub of the Berberis family. The plant is evergreen and can grow to a height of two or three meters. It has hard, long, and strong thorns on its stems and the thorns have three forks. Because it’s easy to be pruned, planted and shaped, wintergreen barberry is a suitable plant for potted bonsai.

The fruit and rhizome of wintergreen barberry can be used as medicine to relieve fire and detoxify, clear heat and remove dampness. However, wintergreen barberry is poisonous to a certain extent which requires a professional to make medicine.