206 ODOROGRAPHIA. 
Dr. Hance, H.M. Vice-Consul at Whampoa, who identified the 
specimens of the Cassia-lignea tree collected by Mr. Ford as 
belonging to Cinnamomum Cassia. There is, in fact, in the Kew 
Herbarium a specimen of the same species collected by Dr. Hance 
in 1876. This specimen is the material upon which the plate 
given by Bentley and Trimen (Med. Plants) is based, and repre- 
sents no doubt the true plant.” 
“ Cinnamomum Cassia was first described by Blume m 1825 *. 
The species was apparently founded on cultivated specimens from 
Java, where Blume states it was ‘ ex China introductum,’ 
“The Kew Herbarium possesses a cultivated Java specimen 
contributed by the Leyden Herbarium. This is no doubt an 
authentic type of the plant described by Blume, and Professor 
Oliver finds that it agrees precisely with the plant collected by 
Mr. Ford on the West River. It may therefore be considered 
finally settled on the one hand that the Chinese Cassia-lignea 
plant is really the Cinnamomum Cassia, Blume, and on the other 
hand that the plant cultivated in Java is identical with that now 
known to be the source of the spice in China. 
“Tt is remarkable that though the cultivation of the Cassia- 
lignea tree has apparently been carried on in Southern China 
from time immemorial, it does not appear to be indigenous there. 
In Cochin China, however, there appears to be some probability 
of its being really wild.” 
The exact part of Cochin China where the Cassia-tree grows 
wild is mentioned in ‘ Pharmacographia, 2nd ed. p. 320, as 
follows :—‘‘ The French expedition of Lieutenant Garnier for 
the exploration of the Me Kong and of Cochin China (1866-68) 
found Cassia growing in about N. Lat. 19° in the forests of the 
valley of the Se Ngum, one of the tributaries on the left bank of 
the Me Kong, near the frontiers of Annam. A part of this 
Cassia is carried by land into China, while another part is 
conveyed to Bangkok in Siam.” The thick bark of the old 
uncultivated trees growing near the Annam frontier is very highly 
valued by the Chinese on account of its supposed medicinal 
properties, especially a bark called Ching Fa Kwei from trees 
growing on the Ching Fa mountain in Annam fF. 
In the Report of Mr. Ford above referred to the following 
account of the mode of collecting and preparing Cassia lignea is 
* Bijdragen Fl. Nederl. Indié, ii. p.570. + Pharm. Journ. [3] xxi. p. 123. 
