178 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 
seasoning food. This plant was brought to Europe by Mr. Haxton, 
Lord Macartney’s gardener. The above out of Kaempfer’s list were 
not known at Canton when we were there in 1794. 
The next genus of importance to us was Magnolia. Three plants 
of the M. conspicua or Yucklan, two of the M. obovata , called by us 
purpurea , and one of the M.fuscata, were purchased. These are all 
very common in the gardens about Canton. The two first come into 
flower there about the middle of February and some time before the 
leaves are expanded. The M. pumila was introduced by Mr. Slater 
before 1789. 
The ( Tokune ) Azalea sinensis were eagerly sought. Two species 
only could be procured; one, the red-flowered, accurately described 
and figured by Kaempfer, and the lovely white flowering one. A 
portable plant of each were with some difficulty obtained: the white 
one, w r e think, cost five dollars. According to Kaempfer, there are 
many species or varieties of this beautiful shrub both in Japan and 
China: he speaks of no less than fourteen bearing different flowers, 
but they, except the two we found, were not known at Canton. The 
Chinese azaleas are decandrious , and, in this respect, differ from their 
North-American congeners. The sexual system would therefore place 
them in different classes; but by the natural system they are associated 
in the same order in which their exterior semblance and habit so plainly 
indicates they should be. In the absence of both the sexual and natural 
systems at the time Kaempfer wrote his Amcenitates Exoticee , we do 
not suppose all the plants which he has denominated Tsutsusi are 
really azaleas , although they may be all belonging to Mho dor ace ce. 
Besides, from the facility with which this tribe sport into each other 
by art, the same variegations may have happened accidentally on the 
wilds of Mount Sakanosta, or in the gardens of the city of Jedegua in 
Japan. 
We noticed in private houses small branches of the azalea , cut from 
the tree just before the flower-buds open, blooming beautifully in water, 
and even before they were in flower in the gardens. The Chinese 
blow many of their flowering shrubs and trees in this manner. 
We found three species of Ixora at Canton, viz. the coccinea, alba , 
and purpurea. They are all great favourites of the people. The first 
is called par excellence the Canton Moutan, and is seen in almost 
every house ; but, being no stranger in British collections, we contented 
ourselves with buying only single plants of the alba and purpurea. 
There are several species of Begonia in China, but they being all 
under ground when we were there, we learned very few particulars 
