VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 99 



(Cliio-cli'iii). The names are confounded by both Chinese and 

 Japanese botanists. Li Shih-chen says there are three varieties, 

 and then proceeds to name four ! That with a white veined 

 wood is the tsii^ that with a red wood is chHu^ that with a 

 beautifully veined wood is ^ (I), while a smaller variety is 

 called \'%_ (Chia). This last character is also written \% but 

 this seems also to be used in the Erhya for the tea plant. 

 The characters \% and |g refer to the fact that the leaves of 

 this tree fall at the end of summer or the beginning of autumn, 

 and during the Tang dynasty the leaves were worn cere- 

 monially at the time of the autumnal equinox. 



Thecatalpa is a large tree with very excellent wood, which 

 is used for buildings of the better sort, for making chess-men, 

 chess tables, weighing-scale frames, and printing blocks ; in 

 this last replacing the more expensive boxwood. The white 

 inner bark and the leaves are the parts used in medicine. 

 This tree is said to have been formerly in much repute as a 

 remedy for surgical diseases. The bark is considered to be 

 stomachic, anthelmintic, and very useful as an ingredient in 

 lotions for stimulating wounds, ulcers, cancer, fistulse, and 

 other indolent or obstinate sores. An extract is prepared from 

 the bark, and the leaves are reputed to be very efficacious in 

 the treatment of carbuncles, swellings, abscesses, struma, 

 porrigo, specks on the cornea, and the like, and are given in 

 bronchitis and emphysema. The leaves are used in treating 

 eruptions on hogs, and these and the leaves of Aleurites 

 cordata are fed to pigs to fatten them. 



CECRODENDRON FORTUNATUM.— In the Customs 

 Lists 1637) this is given as the identification of ^ @ :^ 

 (K'u-teng-ch'a, by which is evidently meant ^ ^ (K'u-teng) 

 and ^ f ^ (K'u-ting-ch'a), the second character of which 

 should be written ^. It is described in the Pentsao under the 

 heading of ^ ^ (Kao-lu), and is also called S M (Kua-lu). 

 It is said that the people of the Kuang provinces call it A''«- 

 teng. The leaf of the shrub is said to be very much like the 

 tea leaf in shape, but considerably larger. Its action is con- 

 sidered to be very much the same as that of tea, quenching 

 thirst, brightening the eye, quieting the nerves, and acting as 



