Alpinia officinarum

China Chi"na, n. 1. A country in Eastern Asia. [1913 Webster]

2. China ware, which is the modern popular term for porcelain. See {Porcelain}. [1913 Webster]

{China aster} (Bot.), a well-known garden flower and plant. See {Aster}.

{China bean}. See under {Bean}, 1.

{China clay} See {Kaolin}.

{China grass}, Same as {Ramie}.

{China ink}. See {India ink}.

{China pink} (Bot.), an anual or biennial species of {Dianthus} ({Dianthus Chiensis}) having variously colored single or double flowers; Indian pink.

{China root} (Med.), the rootstock of a species of {Smilax} ({Smilax China}, from the East Indies; -- formerly much esteemed for the purposes that sarsaparilla is now used for. Also the galanga root (from {Alpinia Gallanga} and {Alpinia officinarum}).

{China rose}. (Bot.) (a) A popular name for several free-blooming varieties of rose derived from the {Rosa Indica}, and perhaps other species. (b) A flowering hothouse plant ({Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis}) of the Mallow family, common in the gardens of China and the east Indies.

{China shop}, a shop or store for the sale of China ware or of crockery.

{Pride of China}, {China tree}. (Bot.) See {Azedarach}. [1913 Webster]