340 Sino-Iranica 



cattle and horses. The hu fun looks as if it were corroded by insects. 

 A resin flows down and comes out of this tree, which is popularly called 

 'hu-t'un tears'. It can be used for soldering gold (or metal) and silver. 

 In the colloquial language, they say also lii # instead of lei, which is 

 faulty." 1 



The T'an pen ts'ao 1 is credited with this statement: "Hu fun lei 

 is an important remedy for the teeth. At present this word is the name of 

 a place west of Aksu. The tree is full of small holes. One can travel 

 for several days and see nothing but hu fun trees in the forests. The 

 leaves resemble those of the fun {Paulownia). The resin which is like 

 glue flows out of the roots." 



The Lin piao lu i 3 states positively that hu fun lei is produced in 

 Persia, being the sap of the hu fun tree, and adds that there are also 

 "stone tears," H lei 15 M, which are collected from stones. 



Su Kuh, the reviser of the Pen ts'ao of the T'ang, makes this ob- 

 servation: 4 "Hu fun lei is produced in the plains and marshes as well 

 as in the mountains and valleys lying to the west of Su-cou HI #1. 

 In its shape it resembles yellow vitriol {hwan fan 51 W), h but is far 

 more solid. The worm-eaten trees are styled hu fun trees. When their 

 sap filters into earth and stones, it forms a soil-made product like 

 natron. This tree is high and large, its bark and leaves resembling those 

 of the white poplar and the green fun ^ ffl. It belongs to the family 

 of mulberries, and is hence called hu fun tree. Its wood is good for 

 making implements." 



Han Pao-sen I? 'Pfc*^-, who edited the Su pen ts'ao 13 ^ ^ about 

 the middle of the tenth century, states, "The tree occurs west of Lian- 

 cou W. 'M (in Kan-su). In the beginning it resembles a willow; when 

 it has grown, it resembles a mulberry and the fun. Its sap sinks into 

 the soil, and is similar to earth and stone. It is used as a dye like the 

 ginger-stone (kian Si ^ 3?) . 6 It is extremely salty and bitter. It is 

 dissolved by the application of water, and then becomes like alum 

 shale or saltpetre. It is collected during the winter months." 



Ta Mih ^C *$, who wrote a Pen ts'ao about a.d. 970, says with 

 reference to this tree, "There are two kinds, — a tree-sap which is not 

 employed in the pharmacopoeia, and a stone-sap collected on the 



1 Cf. Cen lei pen ts'ao, Ch. 13, p. 33. 



2 As quoted in the Ci wu min Si t'u k'ao, Ch. 35, p. 8 b. 



3 Ch. b, p. 7 a (see above, p. 268). 1 



4 Cen lei pen ts'ao, I.e. 



6 F. de Mely, Lapidaire chinois, p. 149. 



6 A variety of stalactite (see F. de Mely, Lapidaire chinois, p. 94; Geerts, 

 Produits, p. 343; Cen lei pen ts'ao, Ch. 5, p. 32). 



