Why is the elm a ghost tree? What are the four ghost trees?

1. Why is it a ghost tree?

The saying that elm trees are ghost trees is actually a saying that has been passed down from ancient times. Generally speaking, because the trunk of the elm tree is tall and can be used to identify direction or position, in ancient times, deceased relatives would be placed next to the elm tree to identify their burial place. Therefore, in most cases there will be someone resting next to the elm tree, and there are also cases where the roots of the elm tree penetrate the coffin and continue to grow. Over time, the ancients came to regard it as a ghost tree.

2. Four Ghost Trees

In addition to elm trees, there are also mulberry trees, willow trees, and poplar trees, which are collectively known as the "Four Ghost Trees." It has no direct connection with the tree itself, but is given different meanings by people mainly based on the culture, the name of the tree or the location of the tree. There is a folk song that mentions "Don't plant mulberry trees in front of the house, don't plant willow trees behind the house, and don't plant ghost trees in the yard." This is why mulberry trees, willow trees, and poplar trees are called ghost trees.

The details are as follows:

"Don't plant mulberry trees in front of the house": This is mainly because the word "桑" (mulberry) in Chinese is homophonic with "丧" (sorrow), which means funeral, and the implication is not very good. If you see a mulberry tree as soon as you go out, it feels like you are going out to see a funeral, so it is not very auspicious.

"No more willows will be planted in the future": This is mainly because willows are used as materials for funeral supplies such as "funeral sticks" during folk funerals. In order to avoid bad luck, willow trees are not planted in the backyard.

“If there’s no poplar tree planted in the yard, ghosts will clap their hands”: here it refers to the “poplar tree”. Because its leaves are large and dense, they make a loud noise when the wind blows, especially at night, like a "clapping sound", hence the name. If planted in the yard, it will disturb people's rest, so this saying comes from.