RECENT CHINESE VEGETABLES. 1 95 



fish. Cari may be added if desired, but the common southern 

 condiments are in general use. 



" In India the fruit is sliced and then fried. It is necessary, 

 however, to boil it in water first, in order to remove all bitterness." 



Sua-kzca. (^Lujfa cylindrica). Pi,ATE II. 



A^ THIS plant we have grown from several sources, and under 

 y^^^ a variety of names, as Dish Cloth Gourd from American 

 "W^ seedsmen, Naga z/f-///7 from Japan, ?iViA Luff a Fabiana , L. 

 J(fponica2t.nd L. nodiflora odorata.^^^ I have not seen this 

 plant in Chinese gardens, but Mr. Wall Hang tells me that it is well 

 known in China, where it is called S^ia-kwa or " water squash." It 

 is widely distributed in all tropical countries, and its nativity is 

 uncertain, but it is probably indigenous to Asia. It is a cucumber- 

 like vine, bearing slender cylindrical curved fruits which, in our 

 gardens, reach a length of one to two feet, although in warmer 

 countries the fruits of some varieties are said to reach nine feet in 

 length. The fruit of this species is well shown in the lower figure 

 Plate 11. It is destitute of ridges, and this character distinguishes 

 it from Sing-kwa, which is described in the following pages. There 

 are also good leaf characters to separate the two. This plant, the 

 Sua-kwa, has distinctly 5-lobed leaves, while the other has rounded 

 and angled or shallow-lobed leaves. These characters are all ad- 

 mirably drawn in an article and illustration by Professor Georgeson 

 in the America?! Garden for September, 1892, but the plant is re- 

 ferred to the wrong species. 



The fruit is eaten before it is mature, either sliced like cucum- 

 ber, or in soups, or cooked like squash. In Japan, according to 

 Professor Georgeson, the young fruit is sliced and dried and thus 

 preser\'ed for future use. The fibrous interior of the mature fruit 

 has a sponge- like texture, and when cured can be used as a .sponge 

 or towel, for which purpose it is frequently sold in our stores. 

 The chief value of the plant in this country is in this sponge- 

 like fibre, and it is worth growing in for ornament ; but I doubt if 

 it will ever become prominent as a food-plant. The plant re- 



* Botanical synonyms of this species are the following, amongst others 

 Luffa .^gytiaca, L. Petohi, L. striata, L. Veitchii. 



