VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 213 



I. 



ILEX CORNUTA.— ^i^J "f (Kou-ku). Another name is 

 i^ 3!, M (Mao-erh-t'zu), "cat-thorn." It is said to resemble 

 ^ M (Nli-chen), LigusU^iim lucidiim. It is described ds 

 having leaves of a beautiful green color, thick, leathery, and 

 evergreen ; each leaf having five angles terminating in spines. 

 It blossoms in the fifth month, bearing small white flowers. 

 These are followed by the fruit, which, when ripe, is of a dark 

 red color, having a thin skin and being of a sweet taste. The 

 kernel consists of four parts. Of course, this refers to the four 

 seeds which are usually joined together. The wood is white, 

 and resembles that of Buxus sempcrvirens. The bark is boiled 

 to make bird-lime. The bark and leaves are used in medicine ; 

 the former being considered to be tonic, while the latter is used 

 in decoction in intertrigo. A medicinal tea, called ^ ;$!] 1^ 

 (Chio-tz'u-ch'a), is made of the leaves in the Kiangnan 

 provinces. It is said that if women drink of it they will not 

 become pregnant, and it is regarded by the Chinese as the 

 most efficient preparation for putting a termination to preg- 

 nancy. Its abortifacient properties are spoken of in almost 

 extravagant terms. Other properties attributed to the tea are 

 those of a carminative and for purifying the blood. The 

 common names for the holly in Kiangnan are ^ |^ $lj (Lao- 

 shu-tz'u) and ^ J^ $lj (lyao-hu-tz'u). The wax insect is some- 

 times found growing on this tree. 



ILEX PEDUNCULOSA.— ^ ^ (Tung-ch'ing\ Con- 

 fusion reigns supreme in regard to the use of this Chinese 

 name. It is most frequently confounded with Ligustrum 

 lucidiim (which see), on account of the fact that the wax insect 

 is occasionally found growing upon this Ilex. The name 

 is also written ^ ^ (Tung-ch'ing). Both of these names 

 are used in the sense of "evergreen," and are therefore 

 applied to several non-deciduous trees. For this reason con- 

 fusion arises in their use as a distinct term for a genus or 

 species. The term is also applied to Xylosina race7nosa^ while 

 ^ ^ S W (Hsi-yeh-tung-ch'ing) is referred io Ilex integra. 



