MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 207 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—It is a common plant, and grows 
about one foot high. Leaves small, narrow and pointed. Root 
of a purplish black colour, and resembles a small rape. The 
flower is purplish red and resembles the ying shan hung 
[Rhododendron. See 155]. It blossoms from the 2nd to 
the 5th month, and in the 7th it produces fruit in racemes (or 
fascicles). The seed has a slight resemblance to wheat. 
The plant produced in Ho yang {in Ho nan, App. 81] and 
Ho chung fu [S.W. Shan si, App. 74] is good for [medical] 
use. There is one kind grown in Huai [An hui, App. 89] 
with a slender (fibrous) root. The country people use it 
(the root) for making brushes. The k‘é mai is mentioned 
in the Rh ya [125]. 
It Sur-cuun :—The F ff shi chu (stone bamboo) has 
leaves resembling those of the ti fu [Kochia. See 111]. 
They are small and narrow like young bamboo-leaves, whence 
the name. The stem is one foot and more in height and 
has joints. That which grows wild in the fields has purplish 
red flowers as large as a copper coin. That sort which the 
people cultivate in gardens has smaller flowers of a red or 
pink colour, sometimes striped, and very handsome. It is 
commonly called ¥ % 7E Lo yang hua [Lo yang, the ancient 
capital of China, in Ho nan]. The fruit (capsule) resembles 
that of the yen mai (swallow wheat. Avena?). It contains 
small black seeds. The young plant is eaten cooked. 
Kiu huang, XLVI, 8 :—Shi chu and Ch. XI, 55 :—K‘a 
mat, representations of Dianthus. 
Shi chu in N. China is a vulgar name for Dianthus 
chinensis, L., and D. superbus, L., both common plants. 
Tarar., Cat.. 18:—K‘u mai, Dianthus Fischeri (same 
as D. chinensis). Ibid., 54:—Shi chu, Dianthus et Commelyna 
[Commelyna is chu ye ts‘az, or vegetable with bamboo- 
leaves].—P. Surru, 86. 
