128 BOTANICON SINICUM. 
standing opposite. The Shan hai king states :—On the Fou 
shan (mountain) there grows a plant with leaves like the ma. 
It has a square stem, red flowers, black fruit. It smells like 
the mi wu [see Rh ya, 89] and is called hin ts‘ao. Itis 
good for curing ulcers. Now it is commonly called ii 
yen ts‘ao, Some say it has the appearance of the mao 
(Jmperata) and is fragrant, but that is not the hin ts‘w 
which the people cultivate. The plant hui [Bot. sin., U, 
406], frequently mentioned by poets in ancient times, is 
unknown to T‘ao Hung-K1ne, as he says. 
Cu‘en Ts‘anc-K1 [8th cent.]:—The hin ts‘ao is the 
same as the 2 BE % ling ling hiang (fragrance). Hin is 
the name for the root of the hui plant. 
Ma Cur [10th cent. ]:—The ling ling hiang grows in the 
mountain valleys of Ling ling [in Hu nan, App. 196]. Its — 
leaves resemble those of the lo le (Ocimum basilicum). The 
Nan yiie chi [5th cent.] says that the local name of the 
plant is yen ts‘ao [v. supra]. It is also called hin ts‘ao or 
hiang ts‘ao (fragrant herb). This is the hin ts‘ao of the 
Shan hai king. 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—The ling ling hiang is oer = 
common plant in Hu kuang [App. 83] where it grows i 
marshy places. Its leaves resemble those of hemp, each two 
standing opposite. Square stem. In the 7th month it produces 
very fragrant flowers. In ancient times it was called hén eden 
The people of Southern China dry it by artificial heat till 
‘it assumes a yellow colour, It is also found in Kiang and 
Huai [An hui and Che kiang, App. 124, 89] and used 
as a perfume. But this is less valued than that from Hu 
kuang and Ling nan. The fragrance increases when the 
plant decays. In ancient times the hin ts‘ao was used ci 
medicine, and the name ling ling hiang was unknown. But 
now the people use it only as a perfume added to cosmetics. 3 
