In classical texts
荼 originally meant a bitter wild green eaten by the poor —
谁谓荼苦 ('who says the sowthistle is bitter?', 《
诗经·
邶风·
谷风》). The white-flower sense came from
茅 (máo — cogon grass) flowers, which are how Chinese armies historically described pale-clad troops mixed with red-armored ones.
