The watermelon, cucumber, squash, tomato, brinjal or egg-plant, and other garden vegetables are abundant; the tallow-gourd (Benincasa cerifera) is remarkable for having its surface covered with a waxy exudation which smells like rosin. The dried bottle-gourd (Cucurbita lagenaria) is tied to the backs of children on the boats to assist them in floating if they should unluckily fall overboard. The fruit and leaves of the papaw, or muh kwa, ‘tree melon,’ are eaten after being cooked; the Chinese are aware of the intenerating property of the exhalations from the leaves of this tree, and make use of them sometimes to soften the flesh of ancient hens and cocks, by hanging the newly killed birds in the tree or by feeding them upon the fruit beforehand. The carambola (Averrhoa) or tree gooseberry is much eaten by the Chinese, but is not relished by foreigners; the tree itself is also an ornament to any pleasure grounds.
Ginseng is found wild in the forests of Manchuria, where it is collected by detachments of soldiers detailed for this purpose; these regions are regarded as imperial preserves, and the medicine is held as a governmental monopoly. The importation of the American root does not interfere to a very serious degree with the imperial sales, as the Chinese are fully convinced that their own plant is far superior. Among numerous plants of the malvaceous and pink tribes (Dianthaceæ) remarkable for their beauty or use, the Lychnis coronata, five sorts of pink, the Althæa Chinensis, eight species of Hibiscus, and other malvaceous flowers may be mentioned; the cotton tree (Salmalia) is common at Canton; the fleshy petals are sometimes prepared as food, and the silky stamens dried to stuff cushions. The Gossypium herbaceum and Pachyrrhizus afford the materials for cotton and grasscloth; both of them are cultivated in most parts of China. The latter is a twining, leguminous plant, cultivated from remote antiquity, and still grown for its fibres, which are woven into linen. The petals of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis furnish a black liquid to dye the eyebrows, and at Batavia they are employed to polish shoes. The fruits of the Hibiscus ochra, or okers, are prepared for the table in a variety of ways.
The Camellia Japonica is allied to the same great tribe as the Hibiscus, and its elegant flowers are as much admired by the people of its native country as by florists abroad; thirty or forty varieties are enumerated, many of them unknown out of China, while Chinese gardeners are likewise ignorant of a large proportion of those found in our conservatories. This flower is cultivated solely for its beauty, but other species of Camellia are raised for their seeds, the oil expressed from them being serviceable for many household and mechanical purposes. From the fibres of a species of Waltheria, a plant of the same tribe, a fine cloth is made; and the Pentapetes Phœnicia, or ‘noon flower,’ is a common ornament of gardens.
The widely diffused tribe Ranunculiaceæ has many representatives, some of them profitable for their timber, others sought after for their fruit or admired for their beauty, and a few prized for their healing properties. There are eight species of Magnolia, all of them splendid flowering plants; the bark of the Magnolia yulan is employed as a febrifuge. The seed vessels of the Ilicium anisatum, or star-aniseed, are gathered on account of their spicy warmth and fragrance. The Artabotrys odoratissimus and Unona odorata are cultivated for their perfume. Another favorite is the mowtan, or tree pæony, reared for its large and variegated flowers; its name of hwa wang, or ‘king of flowers,’ indicates the estimation in which it is held. The skill of native gardeners has made many varieties, and their patience is rewarded by the high prices which fine specimens command. Good imitations of full-grown plants in flower are sometimes made of pith paper. The Clematis, the foxglove, the Berberis Chinensis, and the magnificent lotus, all belong to this tribe; the latter, one of the most celebrated plants in Asia, is more esteemed by the Chinese for its edible roots than reverenced for its religious associations. The Actæa aspera is sometimes collected, as is the scouring rush, for cleaning pewter vessels, for which its hispid leaves are well fitted.
The groups which include the poppy, mustard, cabbage, cress, and many ornamental species, form an important portion of native agriculture. The poppy has become a common crop in all the provinces, driving out the useful cereals by its greater value and profit. The leaves of many cruciferous plants are eaten, whether cultivated or wild; and one kind (Isates) yields a fine blue dye in the eastern provinces; the variety and amount of such food consumed by the Chinese probably exceeds that of any other people. Another tribe, Rutaceæ, contains the oranges and shaddocks, and some very fragrant shrubs, as the Murraya exotica and paniculata, and the Aglaia odorata; while the bladder-tree (Koelreuteria) is a great attraction when its whole surface is brilliant with golden flowers. The whampe, i.e., yellow skin (Cookia punctata), is a common and superior fruit. The seeds of the Gleditschia, besides their value in cleansing, are worn as beads, “because,” say the Buddhists, “all demons are afraid of the wood;” one name means ‘preventive of evil.’ Two native fruits, the líchí and lungan, are allied to the Sapindus in their affinities; while the fung shu, or Liquidambar, and many sorts of maple, with the Pittosporum tobira, an ornamental shrub, may be mentioned among plants used for food or sought after for timber.
ORNAMENTAL PLANTS, ETC.
These brief notices of Chinese plants may be concluded by mentioning some of the most ornamental not before spoken of; but all the beautiful sorts are soon introduced into western conservatories by enterprising florists. In the extensive tribe of Rubiacinæ are several species of honeysuckle, and a fragrant Viburnum resembling the snowball. The Serissa is cultivated around beds like the box; the Ixora coccinea, and other species of that genus, are among common garden shrubs. The seeds of two or three species of Artemisia are collected, dried, and reduced to a down, to be burned as an actual cautery. The dried twigs are frequently woven into a rope to slowly consume as a means of driving away mosquitoes. From the Carthamus tinctoirus a fine red dye is prepared. The succory, lettuce, dandelion, and other cichoraceous plants, either wild or cultivated, furnish food; while innumerable varieties of Chrysanthemums and Asters are reared for their beauty.
The Labiatæ afford many genera, some of them cultivated; and the Solanaceæ, or nightshades, contain the tomato, potato, tobacco, stramony, and several species of Capsicum, or red pepper. It has been disputed whether tobacco is native or foreign, but the philological argument and historical notices prove that both this plant and maize were introduced within half a century after the discovery of America, or about the year 1530. The Chinese dry the leaves and cut them into shreds for smoking; the snuff is coarser and less pungent than the Scotch; it is said that powdered cinnabar is sometimes mixed with it.
Among the Convolvulaceæ are many beautiful species of Ipomea, especially the cypress vine, or quamoclit, trained about the houses even of the poorest. The Ipomea maritima occurs, trailing over the sandy beaches along the coast from Hainan to Chusan and Lewchew. The Convolvulus reptans is planted around the edges of pools on the confines of villages and fields, for the sake of its succulent leaves. The narcotic family of Apocyneæ contains the oleander and Plumeria, prized for their fragrance; while the yellow milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and the Vinca rosea, or red periwinkle, are less conspicuous, but not unattractive, members of the same group. The jasmine is a deserved favorite, its clusters of flowers being often wound by women in their hair, and planted in pots in their houses. The Olea fragrans, or kwei hwa, is cultivated for scenting tea.