PLANTS MENTIONED IN CLASSICAL WORKS. 169 
357.— i tsung. According to W.D., 1024, this is a general 
term for alliaceous plants with fistular leaves; onions, 
garlies; a leek greea. But ancient as well as modern 
Chinese authors apply the above character, which may be 
translated by “onion,” to a distinet species of Allium, never 
to garlic, for which the Chinese have a peculiar name. 
The ts‘ung in North China is Allium jistulosum, L., a 
native of Siberia, Dauria, Northern Mongolia. It is largely 
cultivated at Peking. This species is remarkable for its 
never forming a globular bulb, like our common Allium Cepa. 
A good drawing of the plant is found in Ch., IL, 32. 
_ In Japan likewise the character & is applied to A. jistuloswm. 
[See So moku, V1, 31.] According to Louremo, Flora 
— tochin., 249, the tsum (ts‘ung) largely cultivated in Cochin-— 
china and Southern China, is the common onion, A. cepa. 
This is most probably of foreign origin. P., XXVI, 
_ 9, 14, mentions, besides the common ts‘ung, of which there are 
Several varieties, the winter ts‘ung, the spring ts‘ung, the 
violet ls‘ung, ete,—the rai] Ai hu ts‘ung, or foreign onion, 
termed also [&) [a] A hui hui ts‘ung or Mohammedan onion. 
The drawing of this plant given in the T‘w shu tst ch‘eng 
[LVI] represents an onion with a globular bulb. 
The ts‘ung of the Chinese Classics is, I believe, 1. sistu- 
locum. The Rh ya does not mention the cultivated ts‘ung, 
but notices the shun ts‘ung or mountain onion [r. supr4, 2). 
In another section of the Rh ya the character ts*ung is 
explained by green colour, and in this sense it is understool 
in the Shi hing [286]. 
The Li ki speaks repeatedly of the ¢s‘ung as an article of 
food, I, 79 :—Steamed onions. 462:—Mince with onions, 
Snions with lard, 463:—Onions an] scallions mixed with — 
brine, 13 | | 
Li ki, I, 46), 4(2:—Veget bles eatea by the anci:nt Chinese [LEGGE'S - 
trat Sation]. My remarks in brackets. ; 
