182 BOTANICON SINICUM. 
su tuan. Stem and root officinal. Taste sweet: Nature 
uniform, Non-poisonous. 
The Shan hai king mentions a plant # 4% lung siu. 
Kuo P‘o comments that this is the plant #8 2] lung sit 
which grows in rock-holes, and the stem of which is used for 
making mats. _ 
The Ku kin chu [4th cent.] relates that when Emperor 
Hvana@ TI soared up to Heaven on a dragon, his ministers 
seized the dragon’s moustaches, which dropped to the earth 
and produced the plant so called. 
Other legends are found in the Shu ¢ ki [6th cent.] in 
which this plant is mentioned in connection with Mu wang’s 
eight famous horses and the fabulous Si wang mu or western 
royal mother. The plant is also called pq = ff #F Si wang 
mu’s hair-pin. In Kiang tung the mats woven of this plant 
were known under the name of mats of Si wang mu. 
Some ancient authors refer the lung si grass to Rh ya, 
16. 
Pie lw:—Other names: fj £ lung hua, HR $B haan 
huan, Fj RH fang pin. The shi lung ch‘u grows in Liang 
chou [in Ho nan, App. 187] in mountain valleys and 
marshes. The stem is gathered in the 5th and 7th months 
and dried in the sun. That with nine joints, and which has 
a strong taste, is the best. 
T‘ao Hune-xine :—It has a slender green stem with 
joints, red fruits. It is found in Mid China, growing i 
water between stones, and is employed for making mats. 
Cu‘en Ts‘anc-K‘1t:—It grows in Fen chou, Ts‘in chou, 
Shi chou [all in Shan si, App. 38, 362, 286]. 
Lr Sui-cuen :—The lung si grass grows in tufts. be 
resembles the tsung sin ts‘ao [see the next] and the fu ise 
[Zleocharis. See Rh ya, 59]. The plant rises straight, has 
