around and there'd be no one there. I'd suddenly feel a bit scared and run away. It got to the point where I'd avoid going near the place where those plants grew: If I so much as caught a glimpse of one, I'd beat a hasty retreat. Maybe, in ancient times, people felt the same way and that's why they gave it the name 'ghost flute', although I expect the herb-gatherers at that time were fond of it and didn't let the sound bother them, because they knew that it was such a good medicinal plant. Later, of course, when I grew up and worked out how the plant made the sound, I realised that there was no reason to be afraid of it any more... it's the stems that make the sound, you see - because they're hollow. If the weather's right and you get a good breeze, you'll hear that rich, melodious sound, just like the blowing of a lot of flutes. and - what with all those pretty little bell flowers dancing around in the wind as well - you'd think the ghosts were blowing on them too... In addition to the above, L.formosa has acquired a wealth of common names in the Chinese language, including: 风吹箫 : Fēng chuī xiāo : Wind(-blown) flute 夜吹箫 : Yè chuī xiāo : Night(-blowing) flute 大追风 : Dà zhuī fēng : Big chase wind 炮筒花 : Pào tǒng huā : Gun barrel flower 炮竹筒 : Pào zhútǒng : Firecracker (Pào 'gun' + zhútǒng 'bamboo tube') 炮仗筒 : Pàozhang tǒng : Firecracker (Pàozhang 'gun battle' + tǒng 'tube') 火炮花 : Huǒpào huā : Artillery flower 金鸡一把锁 : Jīnjī yī bǎ suǒ : Golden rooster lock 空心木 : Kōngxīn mù : Hollow wood 空心草 : Kōngxīn cǎo : Hollow grass 大笔杆草 : Dà bǐgǎn cǎo : Big pen grass/Big-stalked grass 来色木 : Lái shǎi mù : (Come) colour wood 大木比替力 : Dà mù bǐ tì lì : Big wood that is a substitute for strength 鬼竹子 : Guǐ zhúzi : Ghost bamboo 梅叶竹 : Méi yè zhú : Plum-leaved bamboo 野芦柴 :Yě Lú chái : Wild reed firewood 磨倮子 : Mó luǒ zi : Grinding naked seed 猴橘子 : Hóu júzi : Monkey orange These names refer mostly to the tubular (fistular) form of the stems, their similarity to those of bamboos and their suitability for wind instruments - as suggested by