Food Plants of China. A comprehensive cultural and botanical study of the food plants of China. 2005. illus. XVI, 844 p. gr8vo. Paper bd. - In English.

This book covers the edible plants of one of the oldest continuouscultures on earth. And edible is applied in a broad connotation here;every plant consumed for food or for its therapeutic effects istreated. The material is organized into two parts: a text thatintroduces the cultural context of the work and presents detailedexamples of the food plants and their preparation, followed by anannotated checklist of over 800 species. These two parts are extensivelycross referenced. Of special interest to botanists is the annotatedchecklist of plants, including algae and fungi, consumed in China.Major divisions of the list are taxonomic, and within each division theplants are arranged alphabetically according to scientific name. Alsoprovided are the names in Chinese characters, the transliteration inEnglish of both the Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations for theChinese names, common names in English, and a brief commentary. Thecommentary presents information such as the part of the plant used, itspreparation, its use, and its availability in Boston's Chinatown, whichmay serve as a guide for those wishing to determine whether a particularproduct is imported into America at this time.