VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 203 



HABENARIA SAGITTIFERA.— ^ € 3E E ^ (S- 

 mao-yii-feug-hua). This orchidaceous flower blooms in the 

 autumn, and has a waxy petal which is likened in shape 

 to a bird. It has an appearance of being very light, and 

 this light, waxy, bird-like petal is indicated in the name 

 by the three characters, ^, 2g, aud ^. No medicinal prop- 

 erties are assigned to the plant. 



HALYMENIA DENTATA.— H gjp i^ (Chi-chio-ts'ao). 

 This is a fresh water alga, a species of dulse^ which grows 

 in marshes and ponds. It has a red stalk and opposite fronds. 

 The shoot has a bitter taste, and is used in fluxes that have 

 a tendency to become chronic. A decoction of the root is 

 employed in lepra-like difficulties. 



HAMAMELIS JAPONICA.— ^ j^ |# (Chin-lii-mei). 

 The Kiiang-chun-fang-pu describes the beautiful thread-like 

 petals of this shrub, which flutter gracefully in the wind. 

 The plant is very similar to Haviamelis virginiana^ but 

 does not seem to have been used medicinally by the Chinese. 



HELIANTHUS ANNUUS.— 1^ H ^ (Hsiang-jih-k'uei), 

 M ^ (Chao-jih-k 'uei). Although the sunflower is extensively 

 cultivated in gardens and fields throughout China, and the 

 fruits are used as food, it is not clearly mentioned in the 

 standard works on medicine or botany. On account of a 

 reference in the classics, the meaning of which is anything 

 but clear, this plant has been confounded with the malvaceae. 

 The above names are the common designation by which 

 the plant is known in Japan and China. The fruits are 

 also fed to fowls, the leaves are made fodder for cattle, and the 

 stalks and roots are used as fuel. The oil, H ■? f^ (K'uei-tzu- 

 yu), is also known to the Chinese, but does not seem to 

 be much used. Aside from the nutritive properties of the 

 fruits, no medicinal qualities have been found ascribed to 

 this plant. 



