PLANTS MENTIONED IN CLASSICAL WORKS. 269 
Li ki, 1, 277 [Yue ling] :—Third month of summer. 
Orders are given to the superintendent of the meers to 
collect and send in the rushes available for use (ff ¥). 
Doctrine of the Mean, 269 :—Their government might be 
called an easily growing rush (jij 9 p‘u lv). LeaaE says 
lu is the same as wei [v. supra], which, as well as p‘u, is the 
name of various rushes or sedges. Regarding p‘u see 375. 
Shi king, 36:—Strong and abundant grow the rushes 
(HB kia). 
96 :— 
The waters of the jaf Ho (Yellow River), wide and deep, 
Flow northward in majestic conrse ; 
The nets are dropt into them with a plashing sound, 
Among shoals and sturgeon, large and small, 
While the rushes (#3 kia) and sedges (3€ t‘an) are rank about. 
195 :—The reeds (# kien) and rushes (#% A/a) are 
deeply green. 121 :—His robes of rank glitter like the 
young sedge (3€ fan). 
Regardin g the above terms we find the following explanations 
Inthe Rh ya, the Shuo wen and the ancient commentaries :— 
Bly, according to the Rh ya [213] is the same as BB hia, 
and [in 211] the Rh ya identifies kia with 3€ hua (flower). 
Mao says kia is the same as # wei, and Li Sin that the 
wei when it begins to grow is called kia. Shno wen :—Kia 
is a name for the wei before it has flowered, and wei is 
a explained by ta kia (the great kia). Rh ya, 210 :— Wei, same 
ss Aw Fj chou tao. Shuo wen :—¥ tao, same as the wet 
in flower. Hixe Pine explains that we? is a term applied 
to the lw when it is full grown, in grain. 
From the above quotations it appears that the.» names /w 
and wei in ancient times were referred to the same plant as 
Rowadays, Lu and wei are common names in Northern 
