What is the sandalwood tree in The Book of Songs?

In the Book of Songs, sandalwood trees appear many times.

Feng Wei cut sandalwood: Kan Kan cut sandalwood for the dry of the river ... Kan Kan cut tan, which is one side of the river ... Kan Kan cut tan, which is the water's edge.

What do laborers do when logging? Build spokes and wheels. It may be a noble family or a chariot.

Xiaoya heming: heming heard it in Jiu Hao, not in the wild. Deep diving in deep pools, sometimes floating to the shore to stop. In that happy garden, the tall sandalwood trees have shade and the bushes under the bushes have leaves. He has a good stone on the mountain that can be used to wear him. There was a faint noise of cranes in the swamp, which resounded through the sky. Swimming on the shallow beach, sometimes diving into the swimming pool. In the happy garden, there are trees and sandalwood, and the dimension is below it. He has a good stone on Fangshan, which can be used to cut jade.

A beautiful big garden with tall sandalwood trees. Under the sandalwood trees, there are some jujube trees and Broussonetia papyrifera.

Daya Daming: Mu Yang, Tan Che,

Konoha leaves are boundless, and ebony chariots are bright and clear.

Tan word means "wood" and "gas", which means "tree with natural fragrance". There are many trees and Woods with the word "sandalwood" in their names, such as rosewood, Dalbergia odorifera, sandalwood, Dalbergia odorifera, ebony and Dalbergia odorifera. Only 2 1 tree species in the mahogany standard has the word "sandalwood" in its name. Sandalwood seems to have something to do with precious mahogany. If someone tells you something is made of ebony, don't be fooled. There is no such thing as ebony. There are many kinds of wood with the word "Dalbergia" in its name, which may vary greatly in characteristics, origin, wood properties and value. They are not necessarily expensive or fragrant. If you are not sure, you'd better ask an expert to palm your eyes.

So what's the difference between these different sandalwood trees? Let me briefly compare rosewood, Dalbergia, Sandalwood and Dalbergia.

For example, rosewood is a tree species belonging to the genus Pterocarya in Leguminosae. Its scientific name is "sandalwood rosewood" and its common name is "lobular rosewood". Its origin is in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its wood value is extremely high, and it can be used for high-grade furniture, musical instruments and so on. Having no or weak fragrance. Dalbergia odorifera is a tree species of Dalbergia in Leguminosae, also known as Dalbergia odorifera, Dalbergia odorifera, and Dalbergia odorifera. Distributed in Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong and other places, Zhejiang's fields and hills can be seen everywhere. Wood is used to make vehicles, handles for farm tools, wooden nails, and so on. , and no special smell. Sandalwood (Santalum album) is a tree species of Santalum in Santalaceae, mainly produced in Indonesia and East Timor. Its heartwood is fragrant, which is generally only used for refining sandalwood oil and making Buddha statues and handicrafts, and is rarely used for furniture making. Sandalwood. It is a species of Pteroceltis belonging to Ulmaceae, and it is a special product in China. Sandalwood. Produced in Beijing, Shanxi, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places. Bark branches and bark are used as fiber materials in China.

Some people interpret the word "Tan" in the Book of Songs as: "There are a lot of wood called Tan in ancient books, and there is no exact reference. Often refers to the Leguminosae Dalbergia, rosewood ". But I don't think it's possible. The Book of Songs was born in the Central Plains, mainly referring to the Yellow River Basin, while Dalbergia Dalbergia is mainly distributed in the south of the Yellow River Basin, and its natural distribution is far less than Dalbergia Dalbergia. Rosewood grows in the southeast of India, and was introduced into tropical China only in modern times. Moreover, neither rosewood nor sandalwood mentioned above are native to China. Since ancient times, they have entered China through tribute trade, and the wood is extremely precious, so it is unlikely to be widely used to make vehicles. Therefore, sandalwood in The Book of Songs is unlikely to be lignum Dalbergiae Odoriferae and rosewood of Leguminosae, but lignum Dalbergiae Odoriferae of Ulmaceae.

References:

1. Xu Feng? Ebony or ebony in the Book of Songs, New Business Daily, 2016,618.

2. China Tree Records edited by Zheng, Forestry Press, 1997.

3. Zhou Mo rosewood, Zhonghua Book Company, 20 17.