IS 
Li is the chestnut, Castanea vesca. 
Tsao, the Jujube, Zizyphus vulgari 
seems to be one of the most popular fruit 
trees of the Chinese. They enumerate a 
great number of varieties of the Jujube. 
The largest and besfy known among the 
Europeans as Chinese Dates, come from 
Shan-tung. At Peking there are two varie- 
ties of Zizyphus vulgaris. Z. vulgdnermis 
Ka-ka-tsao is a tree without 
prickles, and fruits as large as a plum. Z. 
vulg. spinosus is a small shrub, armed with 
numerous very sharp thorns. It grows 
everywhere. Bunge in his Enuin. plant. 
Chinae bor. remarks rightly: “frequentissi- 
ma et molestissima.” The tops of the walls, 
which surround the Board of Punishments 
and other official buildings are covered with 
their dry branches. Bindley is wrong in 
stating (Treasury of Botany p. 220), that 
Caragana spinosa is used for this purpose. 
The fruit of this variety, known under the 
Chinese name j|| Suan-tsao (sour Ju- 
jube) is of the size of a hazel-nut. 
The m Li or Pear, although indigenous 
and cultivated in China from remote times 
is not classed by the Chinese among the 
garden fruits, but is included in the wild 
fruits. Pears and Apples are generally in- 
sipid in China, but there is in Peking a small 
white Pear, Q ^ Pai-li, of excellent 
savour. It is also distinguished from other 
pears by its completely round apple-like 
shape. Large succulent pears come to Pe- 
king from Manchuria. 
There are in Northern China several kinds 
of Apples , both wild and cultivated. The 
character ^ Pang relates generally to 
the Crabapple or sometimes to Craiuegus 
and occurs in the Rh-ya. A very renowned 
kind of the T‘angis the Uai-tang. 
Pyrus baccifera or a closely allied species, 
according to Hoffmann and Schultes, P. 
spectabilis, Ait. It is much cultivated as 
well on account of its beautiful blossoms as 
for the small fruits of the size of a hazel- 
nut, which are made into sweet-meats. The 
Pen-ts‘ao (XXX 5) explains the name Ilai- 
t‘ang (sea apple) by the fact, that this 
crabapple came first from if Tiiti Sin - l °i 
an ancient country in Corea, beyond the 
gulf of Chili.* 
* I must observe, however, that the name 
Ts'm-hai-Vang (Ts‘iu=-=autumnj is not used 
in China to designate a crabapple, but is applied 
to Begonia discolor, a much esteemed ornamental 
flower of Chinese gardens. 
Our common garden apple is also cultiva- 
ted in Northern China. There sit several 
varieties, as || Pin-bud , j-j/ Sha- 
kuo. Some kinds are of a large size, but 
their flavour is far inferior to apples in 
Europe. 
Another fruit ranged by the Chinese 
among the wild fruits, and with more reason, 
than the cultivated pear and apple, is the 
ill Shan-cha (P. XXX 12 Ch. W. 
XXXII). This is the Crataegus pinnati- 
' jida , Bge., growing abundantly in the hills 
to the West of Peking 1 , wdiere it attains a 
j height of 20 to 30 feet. This shrub (or 
! tree) is not cultivated, but the red fruit, 
much larger commonly than the fruit of 
Crataegus, and known by the common name 
lb i! U Shan-li-hung is collected at 
the hills. An excellent sweet meat 
Shan-clia-bao is prepared from it. This 
fruit it mentioned in the Rh-ya. 
The Oranges , of which there are a great 
variety in Cliina, are also comprised by the 
Chinese authors among the wild fruits. 
There can be no doubt, that most of them 
are indigenous in China and cultivated from 
ancient times. This would be proved by 
each species or variety bearing not only a 
different name, but most of them being de- 
signated by peculiar characters and men- 
tioned in the Shu-king, Rh-ya and other an- 
cient works. 
Yg. Kii, is the most common name for 
oranges. This name occurs in the Shen- 
nung-pen-ts‘ao and in the Shu-king P XXX. 
25 Ch. W. XXXI. 
Kin-Mi , (gold orange), Kum-kwat 
Orange (Kum-kwat is the Southern pro- 
nunciation of Kin-kii) Citrus Japonica. The 
fruit is roundish and of the size of a small 
plum. Another variety with small oblong 
fruits, frequently cultivated at Peking, is 
called Kin-tsao (golden Jujube), 
P. XXX 37 Ch. W. XXXL 
CMeny (P. XXX 34 Ch. W. XXX). 
Coolie Orange (Bridgman’s Chrest). 
^ Kan (P. XXX 32 Ch. W. XXXI.) 
Coolie Mandarin Orange. ( Bridgman’s 
Chrest). 
^r{j Yu (P. XXX 35 Ch. W. XXXI), 
Shaddock , Pumelo , Citrus decumana. The 
best sorts of the Pumelo are brought to the 
Capital from Amoy. The Pumelo is men- 
tioned in the Shu-king. 
