PLANTS MENTIONED IN CLASSICAL WORKS. 143 
Amen. exot., 834 :—f8 ko, vulgo motsi gomme. Planta 
Orize grano pingui, albissimo. 
Kg @a v. motsi no jone. Oryza grano mucriori, superficie 
S ceate. 
Phon zo, XL, 15-21, various varieties of rice figured itil 
the above Chinese names. 
339.—After rice, Wheat seems to be the most important 
of the cereals cultivated by the Chinese. Its culture can 
_ likewise be traced back to remote antiquity. It was known 
to the ancient Chinese by the same name, 2 ma?, as nowa- 
days. In the popular language it is called sv HE siao ma 
“(little mai) whilst by Fe BE ta mai (great maz) barley is 
designated. Both these popular terms are also of ancient 
use, for they are found in Fang SHENG-cHr’s treatise on 
husbandry [1st century B.C.] The Shuo wen explains 
the character mai by 7% 2% mang ku (bearded grain). 
Another ancient and classical name for wheat is #% la, 
Written also #9, and sometimes simply 3, without the radical, 
asin the Shi king. This latter character forms also the upper 
part of the radical character 2 mai. 
The Shuo wen says that this corn is an ences present, 
which came down to man from heaven, wherefore the 
r designating wheat includes the character la 
to come,” According to the same Shuo wen, ik lai is the 
common name for. wheat in the kingdom of #§ Ts‘i (Northern 
Shantung), 
. is not noticed in the RA ya, although the character 
occurs twice in the text [32 and 125] forming a part « of 
“ompound names of plants. The Kuang ya has PX Jaz, same 
as ify 3. 
‘Li ki, I, 226, H§ wheat presented with fish for sacrifices at 
altar of the spirits of the land, I, 249, 257 #—The Son of 
en eats wheat and mutton. 271 :—He tastes wheat along 
