at Peking), ^ p 0 -ssu-ts‘ao (Per- 
sian herb) is said to come from Persia ( P 
XX VII i. Ch. W. IV.) The botanists con- 
sider Western Asia as the native country of 
the spinage and derive the names, Spinacia, 
Spinage, Spinat, epinards from the spinous 
seeds. But as the Persian name is esfinadsli 
our various names would seem more likely 
to be of Persian origin. 
Decandolle says (1. c. 843) concerning Lat- 
tice , Lactuca sativa: “rien ne prouve qu’elle 
fut connue en Chine de toute anciennete, 
au contraire Loureiro dit, que les Europeens 
1’avaient introduite a Macao.” Decandolle 
believes, that it was introduced into China 
from Western Asia. He may be right. Al- 
though the Pen-ts‘ao says nothing about the 
introduction, the Sheng-ts t ai (the 
common name of Lattuce at Peking) or txj 
pf Pai-hu seems not to be mentioned ear- 
lier than by the writers at the time of the 
Thing (618-907.) Cf. P. XXVII 17 Ch. 
W. IV. 
Pai-kie , ( While Mustard ,) Sin- 
apis alba was brought from Hu-jung (West- 
ern Asia.)_Z?XA[P/. 34. 
The Watermelon , miR Si-kua or 
V Han-kua (kua is a general term for 
cucurbitaceous plants, Si, denotes West, ban, 
cold,) is, as the Chinese name denotes (West- 
ern melon) not indigenous. The Chinese au- 
thors state (P. XXXI II 6 Ch. W. XXXI), 
that the Chinese first got acquainted with 
this fruit at the time of the Wu-tai (the 
five small dynasties, which succeeded to the 
Thing. 907-960.) It was brought from Cen- 
tral Asia. The Watermelon now thrives 
plentifully in [Northern China, but the best 
come to the Capital from Ilami. 
The Jl^. Ssu-kua. Trichosanthes an- 
guinea was introduced from Southern coun- 
tries (P. XXVIII 15 Ch. W.VI) and for 
this reason it is also called Man- 
kua (Cucumber of the Southern barbarians.) 
The character Ssu in the first name denotes 
silk thread. It is probably an allusion to the 
fringed blossoms. The Greek word Tricho- 
santhes denoting “hairy flowers” is chosen 
for the same reason. 
The Carrot (Daucus Carota) a favourite 
vegetable of the Chinese, was according to 
the Pen-ts‘ao (XXVI 57) first brought 
from Western Asia to China at the time of 
the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368), hence the 
name ’j^ej |jj|| Yrfj Hu-lo-po (Western rape). 
A fine drawing of the Carrot is found in the 
Ch. W. VI. 
Capsicum anuum, Cayenne pepper is now 
a days much cultivated in China and was 
mentioned in the last century as a cultivated 
plant of Southern China by Loureiro. But 
it has not been noticed either in the Pen- 
ts‘ao or in other Chinese books of more re- 
cent data. As the name denotes, the Cay- 
enne pepper is a native of Southern Amer- 
ica. Its Peking name is zjSj^ La-tsiao* 
(pungent pepper), or TsHn-tsiao. 
The drawing of the La-tsiao in the Ch. W. 
VI. p. 20 does not agree with the Cayenne 
pepper, but seems to represent a native 
Capsicum with roundish fruits. Loureiro 
calls C. frutescens La-tsiao. 
Some of our European writers have assert- 
ed, that the Tobacco plant is a native of 
China. Rondot (1. c.) mentions two indig- 
enous Chinese species, Nicotiana fruticosa 
and N. Cliinensis. But there is no proof in 
Chinese books, that Tobacco (as is known is 
a native of America) was known in China 
before the close of the 16th century. (Cf. 
[Notes and Queries 1867 [No. Y.) Li-shi- 
chen, who wrote at that time, was not yet 
acquainted with the Tobacco. In the Ch. 
W. issued in the year 1848 a description 
and a drawing are given of the plant 
( XXXIII ), which is called Ye- 
yen (wild smoke) or Yen , the latter, an 
ancient character, properly means stinking 
plant. 
The Pota'o (Solanum tuberosum) like- 
wise an American plant, the cultivation of 
which has spread over the greater part of 
* The character 
Tsiao denotes properly the 
Shu-tsiao, 
Chinese pepper, Xanthoxylon. The PSn-ts‘ao notes 
several indigenous species of Tsiao (XXXII 1-9) namely 
lE fc Hua-tsiao, 
Ta-tsiao. Judging from the drawing in the Ch. W. 
XXXIII most of them seem to be species of Xanthox- 
ylon. The kind best known to Europeans is the 
Iiua-tsiao (coloured pepper, on account of the red 
coloured fruits of an aromatic pungent taste.) But 
our botanists do not agree as regards the species to 
w hich this Xanthoxylon belongs. — Bunge (enum. plant 
Chin, bor.) describes the Hua-tsiao of Peking as Xan- 
thoxylon nitidum. But Dr. Hance (Adversaria 1864) 
describes the same plant as a new species, Xanthoxy- 
lon Bungei. Ilanbury (Chinese materia medica) asserts, 
that Hua-tsiao relates to Xanthoxylon alatum. 
The common Blade Pepper, Piper nigrum bears the 
Chinese name Hu-tsiao, burfr-de c s not gro w 
-Tt CM to . The Pen-ts'ao states that its Sanscrit name is 
Mo-lii-cM. According to Crawfurd 
(Dictionary of the Indian islands) the Sanscrit name 
of Pepper is maricha. 
