400 Sino-Iranica 



Caspian Sea and Persia. According to de Candolle, 1 its cultivation 

 does not date from more than three or four centuries before our era. 

 The Egyptian illustration brought forward by F. Woenig 2 in favor of 

 the assumption of an early cultivation in Egypt is not convincing to 

 me. 



It is therefore probable, although we have no record referring to the 

 introduction, that Beta vulgaris was introduced into China in the T'ang 

 period, perhaps by the Arabs, who themselves brought many Persian 

 words and products to China. For this reason Chinese records some- 

 times credit Persian words to the Ta-si (Arabs); for instance, the 

 numbers on dice, which go as Ta-si, but in fact are Persian. 3 



The real Chinese name of the plant is tien ts'ai ^ ?£., the first 

 character being explained in sound and meaning by Stt tien ("sweet"). 

 Li Si-cen identifies tien ts'ai with kiln-fa. The earliest description 

 of tien ts'ai comes from Su Kuh of the T'ang, who compares its leaves to 

 those of hn ma Tt i^ (Actea spicdta, a ranunculaceous plant), adding 

 that the southerners steam the sprouts and eat them, the dish being very 

 fragrant and fine. 4 It is not stated, however, that tien ts'ai is an im- 

 ported article. 



38. Reference was made above to the memorable text of the T'an 

 hui yao, in which are enumerated the vegetable products of foreign 

 countries sent to the Emperor T'ai Tsuh of the T'ang dynasty at his 

 special request in a.d. 647. After mentioning the spinach of Nepal, 

 the text continues thus: — 



"Further, there was the ts'o ts'ai HJfeZH ('wine vegetable') with 

 broad and long leaves. 5 It has a taste like a good wine and k'u ts'ai 

 ^ ^ ('bitter vegetable,' lettuce, Lactuca), and in its appearance is like 

 kii J?, 6 but its leaves are longer and broader. Although it is somewhat 

 bitter of taste, eating it for a long time is beneficial. Hu k'in $J Jr 



1 Origin of Cultivated Plants, p. 59; see also his G6ographie botanique, p. 831 



2 Pflanzen im alten Aegypten, p. 218. 

 8 See T'oung Pao, Vol. I, 1890, p. 95. 



4 A tien ts'ai mentioned by T'ao Hun-kin, as quoted in the Pen ts'ao kan mu, 

 and made into a condiment la Rp for cooking-purposes, is apparently a different 

 vegetable. 



6 The corresponding text of the Ts'e fu yuan kwei (Ch. 970, p. 12) has the 

 addition, "resembling the leaves of the Sen-hivo ^ }K-" The text of the Pei hu 

 lu (Ch. 2, p. 19 b) has, "resembling in its appearance the Sen-hwo, but with leaves 

 broader and longer." This tree, also called kin t'ien j§£ ^ (see Yu yan tsa tsu, 

 Ch. 19, p. 6), is believed to protect houses from fire; it is identified with Sedum erythro- 

 stictum or Sempervivum tectorum (Bretschneider, Bot. Sin., pt. Ill, No. 205; 

 Stuart, Chinese Materia Medica, p. 401). 



6 A general term for plants like Lactuca, Cichorium, Sonchus. 



