VEGETABLE KINGDOM. I37 



CUDRANIA TRILOBA.— ;{::5 (Che). This tree is of the 

 order ArtocarpecB^ and is sometimes mistaken for Morus or 

 Broussonetia. It is said to grow commonly in the mountains, 

 and to have a finely grained wood suitable for manufacturing 

 utensils. Its leaves are used for feeding silkworms, producing 

 a quality of silk that is especially esteemed for making lute- 

 strings. It bears a fruit somewhat resembling the mulberry, 

 of which the birds are very fond. The wood is used in prepar- 

 ing a yellow dye, which is employed in dyeing the imperial 

 garments. The wood, the white inner bark of the tree, and 

 that of the eastward-extending root are used in medicine. The 

 taste is sweetish and cooling, and it is prescribed for menor- 

 rhagia, malarial fever, debility, and wasting. An infusion of 

 the wood is used in weak and sore eyes. An epiphyte growing 

 upon the tree, called %-^ ^ (Che-huang) and |5 5 (Che-arh), is 

 used in consumption. Of a thorny variety of the tree, called 

 ^ 15 (Nu-che), the thorns are used, in combination with other 

 drugs, in decoction for the treatment of constipation and 

 obstruction of the bowels. 



CUNNINGHAMIA SINENSIS.— ^f^ (Shan), Q? % (Sha- 

 mu). This tree grows in the southern, central, and western 

 provinces of China and in Japan. It is the common pine 

 of China, and is found in many varieties, one of which is 

 said to have been introduced from Japan. The color of 

 the wood in the different kinds varies from red to white ; 

 the former being tough and resinous, while the latter is 

 of a looser structure, and when dry becomes beautifully 

 veined. Its short, stiff, pointed leaves, and its avoid- 

 ance of the sea-coast, have been remarked by Mr. Samp- 

 son as distinguishing features of this tree. The timber is 

 much valued for making coffins, flooring, furniture, and 

 house-frames, as it is less liable to the attacks of insects than 

 the Pinus sinensis 1;^, Sung), but is not so suitable for piles 

 as the latter, as it rots easily if exposed to continual dampness. 

 Charcoal for making gunpowder has been usually procured 

 from this wood by the Chinese. A decoction of the wood is 

 said to be a sure remedy for varnish poisoning at every stage. 

 It is also used for bathing fetid feet, and is taken internally for 



