THE BALSAM-POPLAR 



20. Under the term hu fun (Japanese koto) 8 fl3 ("t'ung tree of 

 the Hu, Iranian Paulownia imperialism" that is, Populus balsamifera) , 

 the Annals of the Former Han Dynasty mention a wild-growing tree 

 as characteristic of the flora of the Lob-nor region; for it is said to be 

 plentiful in the kingdom of San-san HP H. 1 It is self-evident from the 

 nomenclature that this was a species new to the Chinese, who discovered 

 it in their advance through Turkistan in the second century B.C., but 

 that the genus was somewhat familiar to them. The commentator 

 Mon K'an states on this occasion that the hu fun tree resembles the 

 mulberry (Morus alba), but has numerous crooked branches. A more 

 elaborate annotation is furnished by Yen 5i-ku (A.D. 579-645), who 

 comments, "The hu fun tree resembles the fun fll (Paulownia im- 

 perialis), but not the mulberry; hence the name hu fun is bestowed 

 upon it. This tree is punctured by insects, whereupon flows down a 

 juice, that is commonly termed hu fun lei $} fl? M ( l hu-fun tears'), 

 because it is said to resemble human tears. 2 When this substance 

 penetrates earth or stone, it coagulates into a solid mass, somewhat on 

 the order of rock salt, called wu-fun kien fif fl? fifc ('natron of the wu-fun 

 tree/ Sterculia platanifolia) . It serves for soldering metal, and is now 

 used by all workmen." 3 



The Tun tien 3 ft, written by Tu Yu tt ffi between the years 

 766 and 801, says that "the country Lou IS 4 among the Si 2un ffi 3& 

 produces an abundance of tamarisks $P (Tamarix chinensis), hu fun, 

 and pai ts'ao 6 ^ ('white herb or grass'), 5 the latter being eaten by 



1 Ts'ien Han Su, Ch. 96 A, p. 3 b. Cf. A. WYLIE, Journal Anthropological In- 

 stitute, Vol. X, 1 88 1, p. 25. 



2 Pliny (xn, 1 8, 33) speaks of a thorny shrub in Ariana on the borders of India, 

 valuable for its tears, resembling the myrrh, but difficult of access on account of the 

 adhering thorns (Contermina Indis gens Ariana appellatur, cui spina lacrima pretiosa 

 murrae simili, difficili accessu propter aculeos adnexos). It is not known what plant 

 is to be understood by the Plinian text; but the analogy of the "tears" with the 

 above Chinese term is noteworthy. 



3 This text has been adopted by the T'ai p'in hwan yu ki (Ch. 181, p. 4) in 

 describing the products of Lou-Ian. 



4 Abbreviated for Lou-Ian ^ 10. the original name of the kingdom of San-San. 



5 This is repeated from the Han Annals, which add also rushes. The "white 

 grass" is explained by Yen Si-ku as "resembling the grass yu ^ (Setariaviridis), but 

 finer and without awns; when dried, it assumes a white color, and serves as fodder 

 for cattle and horses." 



339 



