264 BOTANICON SINICUM. 
151.—3& ff tsao hiu. P., XVII, 28. 7T., CXXX. 
Pen king:—Tsao hiu. The root is officinal. Taste bitter. 
Nature slightly cold. Poisonous. 
Pie lu:—Other name: Bf ff cht hiu. The tsao liu 
grows in Shan yang [in Shan tung, App. 270] in river- 
valleys, and in Yiian kii [in Shan tung, App. 415]. 
Su Kune [7th cent.]:—It is now called wf RE 
chung lou kin sien, also # BE chung t‘ai. In the south itis 
known by the name 4f #3 kan sui [comp. 138]. The plant — 
has a solitary stem bearing at the top from six to seven 
leaves [arranged in a whorl] in two or three rows, like those 
of the wang sun [Paris. See 22], the kui kiu [see 152] 
or the pt ma (Ricinus). The root is white and delicate with = 
fine fibres. It resembles a large, succulent ch‘ang p*u root 
[Acorus. See 194]. 
Han Pao-suene [10th cent.]:—Its leaves resemble those 
of the kué kiu [see 152] and mou meng [Paris. See 22]. 
The root resembles that of the tsz‘ shen [Polygonum bistortd. 
See 21]. It has a yellow skin and white flesh. It is dug : 
up in the 5th month and dried in the sun. 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—The tsao hiu is also ealled — 
3% Yal Bi tsz‘ ho ch‘e. This plant is now found in Ho chung 
[in Shan si, App. 74], in Ho yang [in Ho nan, App. 81] 
in Hua chou and Feng chou [both in Shen si, App. 85, 39]; 
Wen chou [in Kan su, App. 386] and in Kiang and Huat 
[Kiang su and An hui, App. 124, 89]. The leaves resemble 
those of the wang sun, kui kiu, ete. They form two or three — 
rows. It flowers in the 6th month. The flowers are yellow — 
and purple, the stamens [or anthers] are of a reddish yellow 
colour and run out into gold-coloured drooping filaments. | 
The fruit, which appears in autumn, is red. The root is like 
a succulent ginger-root and has a red skin and white flesh. 
