MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE, 43 
depths of the high mountains; no other plants are found 
near it. The root is very large and has twelve smaller tubers 
of the size of a hen’s egg on the sides. The people use the 
tubers for food. 
T‘ao Hung-xine :—The ch't tsien is a kind of chi 
[plant of immortality, properly a Fungus, v. infra, 266]. 
It has a stem like the tsien kan [a reed used for arrow-shafts, 
Bot. sin., II, 564] of a red colour. The leaves grow at the 
top. The root is very large, resembles that of the yt (Colo- 
casia antiquorum), has twelve secondary tubers on the sides. 
The plant is not moved by wind, it moves only in still air. 
In the Yao sing Pen ts‘ao [7th cent] this plant is 
termed Ff fii Z ch‘ tsien chi (red arrow chi). 
Su Kune [7th cent.]:—The ch tsien is a kind of chi 
[v. supra]. The stem resembles the tsien kan [v. supra] 
is of a red colour. The flowers and the leaves, which are 
likewise red, are at the top of the stem. It has wings 
like an arrow. The flowers open in the 4th month. The 
fruit resembles a decayed k‘w lien [Melia. V. 321]. The 
kernels are five or six angled and contain a mealy matter. 
When dried in the sun it is spoiled. The root is juicy, 
from five to six inches long, has ten and more smaller 
tubers on the sides. It is eaten raw, for in a dry state it 
is uneatable. 
In the K‘ai pao Pen ts‘ao [10th cent.] the plant in 
question is called FE jp ten ma (heavenly hemp) and said 
to grow in Yiin chou [in Shan tung, App. 421], Li chou 
[in Shan tung, App. 184], T‘ai shan [in Shan tung, 
App. 322], Lao shan [in Shan tung, App. 180]. The root 
is dug up in the 5th month and dried in the sun. Its leaves 
resemble those of the shao yao (Peonia albiflora) but are 
smaller. From the midst of them rises a straight stem 
resembling the tsien kan [v. supra]. The fruit is produced 
