VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 373 



remained green thronghout the year, bearing purple flowers in 

 panicles. He says it is not the plant to which Chen Tsang- 

 chi refers. 



RHAMNUS CHLOROPHORUS, Rhamnus tinctoriiis. 

 This is a tree of Chekiang province, called by the natives HI ^ 

 (Lii-ch'ai). There are two kinds, one growing wild, which is 

 known as the white, and a cultivated kind, called the yellow. 

 A brilliant green dye is made of the bark of these, by boiling 

 together thoroughly that of the two varieties in an iron pan. 

 It is left to stand for three days, after which it is placed in 

 earthen-ware vessels, and cotton cloth which has been previous- 

 ly prepared with lime is immersed in it five or six times. The 

 coloring matter is then washed from the cloth with clean water, 

 and is again placed in the pans and boiled. Cotton yarn is 

 then dipped into the solution several times, which takes up the 

 coloring matter, which is again washed off with water, and 

 placed on paper to dry. The process of drying is completed 

 under the full rays of the sun. In order to dye with it, three 

 parts of carbonate of potash are mixed with ten parts of dye. 

 It is very expensive, and so is used sparingly by dyers. Grass 

 cloth, on account of its rough texture taking up the color most 

 easily, is the principal fabric upon which it is employed. It is 

 a very permanent color, and consitutes the sap-orccn of water 

 color painters. The Chinese call the pigment ^ ^ (Ivii-kao) 

 and |§^ ^ (Lii-chiao). It appears on the Chinese market in 

 thin, dry, bluish scales, which when rubbed up produce a 

 bluish-green pigment, and is used by the Chinese to color 

 shark-skin for covering spectacle cases and the like. It has 

 the purgative properties of the buckthorn, in the crude state, 

 and when mixed with lunar caustic makes an excellent indel- 

 ible ink. 



RHAMNUS JAPONICA.— ^^ ^ (Shu-li). The same 

 name is also applied to Rhammis arguta and Rhamnus virgata. 

 Other common names are -^ ^ (Niu-li) and llj ^ (Shan-li). 

 The tree, which is t:ommon in the provinces north of the 

 Yangtse, grows to the height of eight or ten feet, has leaves 

 resembling those of the common plum, and bears fruits that 



