MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 313 
fruits. After summer, when the plant has ceased flowering, it 
produces tubers which are attached to the fibrous root. These 
tubers are white or yellow or of a purplish colour, of the size 
of a finger, oblong, 2 or 3 inches long and from 10 to 20 in 
number, They somewhat resemble the tubers of the po pu 
[see 177]. That kind of tien men tung which is produced in 
Lo [Lo yang, in Ho nan] has large leaves, a coarse root, 
and is different. Another kind in Ling nan [S. China, App. 
197] does not produce flowers. 
Caana Yit-u1 [11th cent.]:—The ¢‘ien men tung is the 
ts‘iang mei or men tung of the Rh ya [108]. Pao P‘o-rsz‘ 
[3rd or 4th cent.] calls it tien ki [v. supra] also Hy FY 4 
ti men tung, $8 FY 4 yen men tung. He states also that on 
each of the five sacred mountains [wu Yo. See Bot. sin., I, 
p. 223] it has a different name, viz.: On the Eastern Yo 
[T‘ai shan in Shan tung] it is called 4 >F BE yin yang huo,— 
on the Central Yo [Sung shan in Ho nan] it is ten men 
tung,—on the Western Yo [ Hua shan in Shen si] it is 
A kien sung,—on the Northern Yo [Heng shan in 
Shan si] it is ae A AT wu pu yi,—on the Southern Yo 
[Heng shan in Hu nan] it is  %% po pu. Cnene YU-HI 
observes that the po pu is not identical with the t‘ien men tung 
as Pao P‘o-rsz‘ asserts [see the next]. The yin yang huo is 
likewise another plant [Aceranthus. See 18]. 
Li Sui-cuen identifies the tien men tung with Fh ya, 92, 
#2 mao or Wi ia tien ki, which according to the commentator 
is a plant with fine (linear) leaves and prickles. But other 
authors refer Rh ya, 108, to t‘ien men tung. According to _ 
Li Sut-cuen it is much cultivated. 
Ch., XXII, 9:—T‘ien men tung. The figure represents 
a plant with linear leaves and tuberous roots, probably 
Asparagus lucidus, Lindl., for at Peking the latter plant is 
40 
