( 15 ) 
During the reign of the Emperor Wu-ti 
140-86 B. C. the Si-yu (the countries of 
Central Asia were opened up by the Chinese 
armies, and China then first became acquaint- 
ed with the far West of Asia. The cele- 
brated General RJ§. Igjf; Chang-kien, the 
conqueror of the Si-yu, advanced to A Si 
Ta-wan (Kokand) and still further to A 
j|d Ta-sia (Bactria). After having been 
absent for 10 years, he returned to China 
and brought along with him many useful- 
plants from Western Asia, which soon spread 
over the whole of China and are cultivated 
here up to the present time. The Pen-ts‘ao 
mentions the following plants as being in- 
troduced from Western Asia by Chang-kien, 
but some of them were probably earlier 
known by the Chinese, and Chang-kien only 
introduced better varieties. 
ihm 
Ct Ts l an- 
tabu (ts‘an denotes silkworm. The pods are 
said to resemble the silkworm) or )Ct 
LIu-tabL* This is the Faba sativa, common 
Bean, a native of Europe and Western Asia. 
(Cf. Decan dolle 1. c. 956) P. XXIY 20 Ch. 
W. I (a fine drawing). The ItidnSy' 1 bean 
is still much cultivated at Peking under the 
name of Ts‘an-tafcO 
Chang-kien further brought from the 
West the Hu-kua or fqf 
Huang -kua, the Cucumber , (P. XXVIII 14 
Ch. W. IV), the Hu-sui or Pars- 
ley (Petroselinum sativum ) P. XXVI 55 
Ch. W. IV., the Mu-su, Lucerne 
or Medicago sativa P. XXVII 8 Ch. W. Ill 
Cf. Xotice sur la plante Mou-sou p. M. 
Skatschkoff and M. Pauthier, 1864. Decan- 
dolle (1. c. 838) says about the Lucerne: 
‘‘Les Grecs et les Romains l’appelaient M%- 
diKij, herba medica, parcequ’ils la regardai- 
ent comme apportee de Medie (Plin. XVIII 
C. 16). 
The Pen-ts‘ao states also, that the 
Hung-lan-hua or ^ Hung- 
hua (red flower) was brought to China by 
Chang-kien. This is the Safflower , Bastard 
Saffron or Carthamus tinttorius, used in China 
as well as in Western Asia and Europe for 
dyeing red. P XV 40 Ch. W. XIV. 
At the same time the Chinese were ac- 
quainted also with the Saffron * according 
to the Pen-ts‘ao. The Saffron, Crocus sati- 
vus, is therein described (XV 42) under the 
name Fan-hung-hua (foreign 
Safflower). As synonyms are given 
SI Ki -f n -lanj and J5|$ Sa-fa- 
lang. Without doubt by these sounds is 
rendered the Arabian or Persian name Zia- 
feran. The Pen-ts‘ao states, that this plant 
grows in Thibet (Sifan), in the countries of 
the Mohametans (Hui-hui-ti) and in Arabia 
(T‘ien-fang). At the time of the Yuan 
dynasty (1280-1368) they mixed the Sa-fa- 
lang with their food. (This custom is up 
to the present time, found in Persia, where 
the rice is mixed with Saffron). At Peking 
the Saffron is known by the name [}lj 
^ Si-tsang-hung-hua ( Red flower 
from Thibet), but it is not cultivated here. 
It is, however known, that the Saffron now 
is extensively cultivated in other parts of 
China. The Saffron (Crocus sativus) and 
the Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) belong- 
ing to two different families and classes of 
the natural system [Iridaceae (Monocoty- 
ledons) and Compositae (Dicotyledons)] 
have not the slightest resemblance. It is 
therefore strange, that almost all nations, 
like the Chinese, confound these plants. 
Decandolle (1. c. 858) says: “ Je remarque une 
certaine confusion chez les Arabes entre le 
Safran et le Carthame, dont les fleurs don- 
nent aussi une teinture jaune et qui est cul- 
tive en Egvpte, ou le Safran ne Test pas. 
Le nom du Carthame en Arabe es quotom, 
celui de la fleur cette plante osfour. Le 
premier rappelle le nom hebreu et persan du 
Crocus, le second vient de sa couleur et de 
l’analogie avec le Safran. Le Carthame a 
requ dans le commerce le nom de faux 
Safran ou Safranon. O 11 voit dans les an- 
eiens auteurs et deja dans Pline, que des 
emplois analogues ont fait de tout temps 
rapprocher et designer semblablement ces 
deux plantes.” 
The Chinese distinguish two kinds of Gar- 
lic , the Hu or Ta-suan (great 
Garlic) and the Suan or yjx Siao- 
suan (small Garlic). The first is ’ said (P. 
* If the character ocours m the name of a 
plant, it can he assumed, that the plant is of foreign 
origin and especially from Western Asia, for by 
m a Ea-jen the ancient Chinese denoted the 
peoples of Western Asia. They explain, that the writ- 
ing of the Hu-jen is not arranged in vertical columns 
as the Chinese, but runs from right to left. 
I would here mention an ei’ror I committed in my 
article on Chinese ancient geographical names in 
J.A.L . » 
stating, that ^0 ^ 'CC might be 
the Saffron. By this name probably the Sumbul, 
Sumbulus moshatus, is meant. 
t The character Ki is probably a misprint and must 
be written |Jj|| Tsa. 
