IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Sino-Iranica : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
THE BALSAM—POPLAR
20. Under the term hu t`un (Japanese kot6) ("t`ung tree of
the Hu, Iranian Paulownia imperialis; " 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.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 t`un tree resembles the mulberry (Morus alba), but has numerous crooked branches. A more elaborate annotation is furnished by Yen Si-ku (A.D. 579-645), who comments, "The hu t`un tree resembles the t°un M (Paulownia imperialis), but not the mulberry; hence the name hu t`un is bestowed upon it. This tree is punctured by insects, whereupon flows down a
juice, that is commonly termed hu t`un lei (`hu-t`un tears'),
because it is said to resemble human tears.' When this substance penetrates earth or stone, it coagulates into a solid mass, somewhat on
the order of rock salt, called wu-t`un kien (` natron of the wu-t`un
tree,' Sterculia platanifolia). It serves for soldering metal, and is now used by all workmen."3
The T `un tien written by Tu Yu fi ft between the years
766 and 8o1, says that "the country Lou 414 among the Si Zun V4 At produces an abundance of tamarisks ie P (Tamarix chinensis), hu run, and pai ts`aorte- (` 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 Institute, Vol. X, 188r, p. 25.
2 Pliny (x11, 18, § 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.
This text has been adopted by the T'ai p'in hwan yü ki (Ch. 181, p. 4) in describing the products of Lou-lan.
4 Abbreviated for Lou-lan gh, the original name of the kingdom of San-gan.
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 (Setaria viridis), but
finer and without awns; when dried, it assumes a white color, and serves as fodder for cattle and horses."
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