Compendium of Materia Medica

Illustrations for the Compendium of Materia Medica

A traditional Chinese woodblock botanical illustration of the Tusizi Dodder plant/Cuscuta chinensis. The drawing shows several thin, twining stems spiraling upward and around one another. Small clusters of round berries or flowers are shown at various intervals along the vines. Although the dodder is a parasitic plant that usually lacks leaves, this historical depiction includes small groups of lanceolate leaves growing from the stems.