PREFACE. 
In presenting these pages to the learned world, I consider it my duty to confess, 
that I am neither a Sinologue nor Botanist, my knowledge in Chinese as well as in 
Botany being very limited. But living in the Chinese Metropolis five years, I was 
encouraged by the favourable conditions in which I found myself, to make some 
inquiries into Chinese plants and to venture on the publication of these notes on 
Chinese Botany. Every body will admit, I think, that some questions regarding 
Chinese plants can be more easily decided by men, living in China, by direct 
observation and information taken directly from the natives, — than in Europe by 
eminent savants, who have not been in China and must base their views, for the 
most part upon accounts given by travellers, which are not always exempt from 
errors, and upon translations from Chinese works, made by sinologues, who know 
little or nothing about Botany. I beg therefore to be excused if I have attempted 
sometimes to contradict some views of well known scholars. I implore indulgence 
for any errors which I may myself have committed. I have at least always en- 
deavoured to adduce the sources whence I derived my information and prosecuted 
my enquiries in order to afford an opportunity for correcting or confirming my views. 
Although I had the advantage of having access to the splendid library of the Kussian 
Ecclesiastical Mission at Peking, where are to be found not only all Chinese works 
of importance, but also most European books relating to China, — the reader will 
observe the want of some special works on Botany, indispensable in the treatment of 
botanical questions. But such works can only be met with in the great European 
libraries. — 
As my notes have been written for Sinologues as well as for Botanists, I have 
endeavoured to be intelligible to both, and especially to the latter, by explanations 
of the Chinese characters, which occur therein. I would take advantage of this 
opportunity to observe, that Chinese names of plants should not be considered from 
the same point of view as names in other oriental languages, which can be tran- 
scribed easily and unmistakably by our letters. The Chinese language does not 
possess more than 400 words or monosyllabic sounds, distinguishable by an Eu- 
ropean ear. But as the Chinese characters (or hieroglyphs) are very numerous, 
each sound relates to a great number of characters of very different meaning. I will 
quote an example taken from the Chinese nomenclature of plants. 
^ is a Plum, ||| a Chestnut, ^ a kind of Vegetable, 
a Pear, a kind of Oak, a kind of Garlic, 
All these characters are pronounced by a sound, which must be rendered Li by 
European letters. In addition to this the Chinese characters, used by almost all 
peoples of Eastern Asia, are pronounced in a very different manner, not only by 
these different peoples, but even in different parts of China.* Finally, European 
writers, ignorant of the Chinese language, frequently render Chinese names of plants 
very incorrectly and distortedly. This may suffice to prove, that it is completely 
useless and unintelligible to write the Chinese names of plants in European books, 
without the Chinese characters. The Chinese language is one suited more for the 
eye, than the ear. Therefore, in quoting Chinese names of plants, ambiguities 
can only be avoided by the addition of the Chinese characters. 
is the well-known little Kum-kwat orange fa variety of Citrus japonka.J The Chines* 
characters?* meaning “Golden Orange” are pronounced IKum-Tswat in the Southern dialect, b#t Ein-lm in 
the Mandarin dialect. 
