INTO THIS FLORA OF CHINA. 
29 
FE4TC1S XA¥ISR B’EITRECOIIES, a 
Frenchman, born 1662, joined the Chinese mission 1698, -f- in 
Peking 1741. Many interesting notes on China from his pen 
have been preserved. The following relate to Chinese plants : 
Letter to Father Du Halde, dated Peking 7 Jul. 1727 (l.c. 
Ill 544.) This letter contains an interesting treatise on the 
manufacture by the Chinese of artificial flowers made from the 
marrow of a Chinese plant, called tong tsao, of which the author 
gives a description translated from a Chinese work. 
This ia the jj§. j|t t'ung ts'ao of the Chinese, a'plant which is not only 
used in making artificial flowers, but is also the source of the Iiice paper, 
erroneously so called. It was only in 1852 that European botanists 
became acquainted with this plant, a native of Formosa. Sir W. Hooker 
described it in his Journ. of Bot., 1852 and 1853 as Aralia papyrifera. It 
has been introduced subsequently into many tropical countries. When 
I visited Java, in 1872, I saw it already, escaped from cultivation, 
growing luxuriantly in the forest surrounding the botanical garden of 
Tjibodas. 
In the same letter (l.c. 547) d’Entr. says a few words on the 
large Citron, called Fo shou or Buddha’s hand by the Chinese 
(v. supra Martini 10.) - 
In another letter, dated Peking 6 Oct. 1736 (l.c. Ill 713.) 
he treats of several other famed Chinese plants and begins 
first with some interesting and correct accounts of the tree and 
fruit, which the Chinese call si tze or chi tze . (BiospyrOS 
Kaki as has already been stated, v, supra Semedo 4, Boym 14.) 
He had observed the tree at Peking and sent also seeds of it 
to Paris. He states that the provinces of Shan tung, Ho-nan 
and Che-kiang are famed for their excellent sitze fruits, which 
are of various sizes, colors and shapes in different parts of 
China. They are generally of an orange or red color, but those 
of Chekiang are green even when ripe. Some varieties of this 
fruit have the appearance of two apples joined together or a 
fruit of two stories. The fruits on grafted trees are devoid 
of seeds. 
. The author here refers to the Peking variety of the Kaki, the largest 
in size, which near the basis of the fruit is provided with a circular 
depression and contains rarely seeds. 
E. further states that the Chinese claim to graft successfully 
peaclitrees on the sitze. 
I have found the same statement in ancient Chinese works but cannot 
confirm it. 
After this E. speaks of the Lichi fruits (v. supra Martini 
and then proceeds to describe a kind of Acacia, called hoai shu 
by the Chinese. Its fruit is used as medicine, the flowers for 
