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206 TSIEX-HIAXO GHAKU-WOOD. II,n-ll'''
magic 206—210, (quoting Journal Koy. Asiat. Soc, Straits Branch, JV» 18, 359—361) says: «The
gharu-tree is a tall forest tree, sometimes reaching the size of fifteen feet in diameter. The barii
is of a silvery gray colour, and the foliage close and dense, of a dark hue. The Malay name for
the tree is tahaJc ... Gharu, the diseased heart-wood of the tabaJc, is found in trees of all sizes,
even in trees of one foot in diameter, thus showing that the disease attacks the tree at an early 5
stage. The gharu is found in pockets, and may sometimes be discovered by the veins which run
to these pockets .... The tree is generally cut down and left to rot, which exposes the gharu in
about six months There are great differences in the quality of gharu, and great care is taken
in classifying them. It requires a skilled man to distinguish between some of the varieties)). Eight
varieties are then given with their distinctive peculiarities. The first— which is the ch'dn-Mang of 10
the Chinese, is called in Malay clia,ndan. The tsien (or ehan)-hiang referred to in another passage
(infra p. 206) is the Malay tandok (or tandak). The other varieties of gharu mentioned by the CM-
uese are more difficult to identify with the Malay ones. The classification varies greatly in
different Chinese works, thus the Nan-yiie-pi-ki (^ ^ ^ gg) by Li T'iau-yiian, the
eighteenth century editor of Chau Ju-kua's work, mentions (14,2°) fifteen varieties, most of the 15
names being quite different from those used by older writers. Pon-ts'au, 34,26-29, describes twenty
odd varieties of gharu-wood.
3) In the first part of this work, our author says that gharu-wood of one kind or another is
procured in the following countries: Kiau-chi, Chan-ch'ong, Chon-la, Tong-liu-mei, San-fo-ts'i, Tan-
ma-ling, Ling-ya-ssi-kia, Fo-lo-an, the islands east of Borneo, and Hainan. In Chan-ch'ong (Annam), 20
he tells us (supra, p. 48) there was levied a special tax on persons engaged in hunting for gharu.
4) This definition of the difference between «raw» and «ripe» gharu appears — in the
light of the information supplied from Malay sources (supra, n. 2.)— to be correct; it is however, very
difficult to follow our author in his explanations concerning the various varieties of this product.
5) Kiau-chi also produced p'ong-lai gharu (see supra, p. 46). Ling-wai-tai-ta, 7,1—2 says that 25
p'ong-lai gharu-wood is also known as clion-shui-hiang or asinking in water incensen. Perfect
nodules are rare, they are like little bamboo hats (>U ^^) or big mushrooms. If they float on
water, they have lost their fragrance and are worth but little. This ch'Sn-shui is used in mede-
cine. There is also a good variety ot p'ong-lai-hiang called cho-leu-pan-hiang (^^ jjM ^^ •^*)
because it is spotted like a partridge's breast. Its perfume is weak but agreeable. There is also a 30
pong-lai-tsien-hiang which comes from Hainan.
11 ^
TSIEN-HIANG GHARU-AVOOD (^ ^).
Tsien-Mang is an inferior quality of gharu-wood, being similar to (ch'on-
liiang) in fragrance and taste, but fibrous and not very solid, whence it is 35
considered inferior to the ch'dn-Mang, though better than the «ripe sm (^
jg) variety.
Note.
Nan-fang-ts'au-mu-chuang (loc. cit.) says that chan-hiang [^ ^) is the product
of the trunk of the tree; this is probably the same as the tsien-hiang. Ling-wai-tai-ta, 7.2, says 40
that tsien-hiang comes from Hainan; it flows from the tree in liquid form and coagulates in a
mass like needles. P'ong-lai-tsien-hiang coagulates in a flat plate-shaped mass. The small fragments
off the edges of this variety are known as hie-k'o-hiang (®> ^& 35: « crab-shell
incense))). The Icuang-hiang (-^ ((brilliant ^ incense))) which comes from ((north of the Sea))
('/§ Southern China?)
^(j
and Kiau-chi is identical with tsien-hiang. The shdu-su variety is 45
mentioned in the next paragraph.