内容简介

The Chinese flora, with an estimated 31,000 species, is of immense scientific and horticultural importance. Noteworthy, too, is Chinese traditional medicine, which is based on the remarkable plant resources of the country. Descriptions and identification keys for this diverse flora, until now unavailable in English, have been published over the past 14 years in the Flora of China, in conjunction with a separate series, the Flora of China Illustrations. Twenty-five of the total of 49 volumes have already been published, thanks to an unprecedented and long-standing collaboration between Western and Chinese scientists.
Eighteen plant families are described in this volume. Among these, Hippocastanaceae comprises the horse chestnuts and buckeyes; Sapindaceae, the soapberry family, includes the fruits lychee and longan, and species valued for their wood; Balsaminaccae, the balsam family, mainly comprises Impatiens; Rhamnaceae includes Rhamnus, once used for making charcoal for gunpowder, and ornamental plants that contain yellow and green dyes; Vitaceae contains the grapes and numerous other vines; TiUaceae includes the basswoods, lindens, or limes; Malvaceae contains Hibiscus, cotton, and okra; Bombacaccae includes kapok; Sterculiaccae, the source of chocolate, also yields timber; Actinidiaceae includes the edible kiwifrult; and Theaceae includes many ornamental species of Camellia, as well as C. sinensis, the source of tea.