MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 397 
of the Ain in Yiin meng [in Hu pei, App. 423]. Yiin meng 
was in the country of Ch‘u. In the same country lies 
also Bf J] K& chou [App. 121]. The Rh yai [12th cent.] 
states that the ## k‘in plant is very common there, and 
suggests that the name of that place may be derived from the 
kn plant, for the character #& in ancient times was pro- 
nounced FF kin, as is expressly stated hy Kuo P*‘o [sce 
Rh ya, 5]. Lat Sut-cuen says there are two kinds of k*in— 
the 7K FE shui kin, which grows in water, and the # | han 
Kin, which grows in dry soil. The first is common on the 
margins of rivers and lakes and in marshes, the other is met 
with on the plain. There is a red and a white sort [the 
author apparently refers to the shui kin]. The leaves spring 
from the joints of the stem and stand opposite, resembling 
those of the kung k‘iung [v. supra]. The stem has ridges 
(is channelled) and is hollow. The plant is very fragrant. 
It blossoms in the 5th month. Small white flowers like 
those of the she ch‘uang [Cnidium. See 49]. The people 
of Chu [Hu kuang] gather the plant in times of scarcity. 
It is very nourishing. It is mentioned in the Shi king. 
The shui kin is an umbelliferous plant, the Gnanthe 
stolonifera, DC. For further particulars see Bot. sin., UH, 
370, 
The & FF han (dry soil) kin, or simply FF kin or 
LR kin ts‘ai, is Celery, Apium graveolens. It is much 
cultivated at Peking. It is not clear whether by han Kin 
Lt Sut-cury means celery. In the P. [XXVI, 59], after the 
thu kin, the plant #8 kin is treated of, and han kn given 
“$4 synonym. But the character kin in the Rh ya and 
ae seems rather to refer to a Viola, See Bot. sin. HU, 
71, 
