186 _ BOTANICON SINICUM. 
101.—4F JE niu si. P., ANVI2I. Tbe 
Pen king :—WNiu si (ox knee), & #2 po pet. The root 
is officinal. Taste bitter and acid. Nature uniform. Non- 
poisonous. 
Pie lu:—The niu si grows in Ho nei [S.E. Shan si, 
App. 77] in river-valleys, also in Lin k‘ti {in Shan tung, 
App. 193]. The root is dug up in the 2nd and 8th months 
and dried in the shade. 
In the Kuang ya [3rd cent.] it is called “FX niu heng. 
Wu P'u [8rd cent.]:—Its leaves resemble those of the 
hia lan (summer blue. Unknown to me). The stem at its 
beginning is red. 
Tao Huna-K1ne :—It is produced in Mid China. The 
drug from Ts‘ai chou [in Ho nan, App. 342] is the best, 
it is large, long and succulent. The stem has joints like the. 
knee of an ox, whence the name. That with large purple 
Joints is the male, that with small green joints is the female 
plant. The male is the best. 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—It is found in Kiang and in 
Huai (Kiang su and An hui), in Min [Fu kien, App. 222) 
and Yiie [S. China, App. 419], also in Kuan chung [in 
Shen si, App. 158]. The genuine drug comes from Huai 
K‘ing [in Ho nan, App. 94] and is considered the best. 
The stem grows from two to three feet high, is of a greenish 
purple colour, and has joints like the knee of a crane or an 0X- 
The leaves are pointed, round, resemble a spoon in shape, 
and come out from the joints in pairs opposite. Flowers 
spikes. In autumn it produces very small fruits (or seeds). 
The root attains a length of three feet and is succulent. 
Stem and leaves also used in medicine. 
Li Sai-cuen :—The niu si is a common plant. The 
wild-growing is not so much used for food as that cultivated 
