Woodcut of jin gua'er (a kind of pumpkin) from Yecai bolu (Compendium of edible wild plants), published in the Tianqi reign period of the Ming Dynasty. The illustration is accompanied by an explanatory text:
Jin gua'er has shoots resembling those of the gourd. The leaves are small and similar to the leaves of chi dian 'er. It has fine tendrils(?)The stem is square in section and the leaves have fine spines. The seeds are the size of [illegible] . They are green when raw but red when cooked. The rind is yellow. The flesh within is greenish white. It tastes somewhat bitter. It is cold in nature. Mode of consumption: Remove the root. Boil until cooked, changing the water to get rid of the bitter taste. Boil once more and eat when well done.
Yecai bolu includes 435 edible plants. Below the name of each species is an illustration of the plant, followed by information on its appearance, its properties and flavours, and methods of collection and consumption.
