MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 411 
T‘ao Hune-xina:—The lo k‘ui is also called HK HR 
ch‘eng lu. It is largely cultivated. The leaves are prepared 
into a condiment with fish. They are cooling and mucilag- 
inous. The fruit (berry) is of a purple colour. Ladies use it 
asa cosmetic. It is little used in medicine. 
Han Pao-suene [10th cent.]:—It is a twining plant. 
The leaves in shape resemble apricot-leaves, and are roundish 
and thick. The fruit resembles that of the wu wei tsz‘ 
[Schizandra. See 164], is at first green and becomes black 
when ripe. 
Ma Cut [10th cent.]:—The lo k‘ui is also called ji ¥€ 
eng k‘ui (twining mallow). Popular name #4 [Rt AR hu 
yen chi. 
Lt Sur-coen :—The lo k‘wi is planted (sown) in the 3rd 
month. The young leaves are eaten. It is a twiner. The 
leaves resemble apricot-leaves but are thick, succulent and 
mucilaginous. They are eaten as a vegetable together with 
meat. In the 8th or 9th month it opens its small purple 
flowers, which are arranged in spikes. Fruit (berry) as large 
as that of the wu wei tsz‘ [v. supra] and of a purplish black 
colour when ripe. The juice of these berries is red like the 
HY AS yen chi (cosmetics, rouge). Ladies employ it for 
painting their faces and lips, it is also used for dyeing cloth. 
It is called hu yen chi [v. supra] and Ye #f fF jang kiang tsz‘ 
(berry which dyes a red colour). But this colour is changeable. 
The plant is also called 1 1 2B yen chi ts‘ai and AAR yi ts‘ai 
(imperial vegetable). 
Ch., IV, 6 :—Lo kui. Good drawing of Basella. The 
description in the P. agrees. At Peking Basella rubra, L., 
Order Chenopodiace, is cultivated under the name of Js % 
yen chi fou (cosmetic pea). The berries are used as a 
cosmetic, 
Lour., Fl. cochin., 229 :—Basella nigra (=B. rubra). 
Sinice ; lo guei, Usus esculentus, 
