MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 345 
sort is called Ze [| [| shw (water) ch‘ang p‘u. It grows in 
rivulets and swamps, and is seldom used in medicine. These 
two sorts are frequently mixed together by the druggists and 
wre not easily distinguished. 
Li Sui-cuen :—There are five kinds of ch‘ang p‘u:— 
1,—That which grows in ponds and marshes and 
has a leaf like the p‘u, a fat (succulent) root, and is 
from two to three feet high, is the J~ | | w ch‘ang 
p‘u (vw = mud) or Fy *§ pai ch‘ang [see 195]. 
2.—That which grows in rivulets, has a p‘u leat, 
a meagre root, and is from two to three feet high, 
is the Fe | | shui (water) ch‘ang pu or kt sun 
[v. supra]. It is also called 7K gi] HE shui tsien ts‘ao 
(water sword-plant). 
3.—That which grows in the water among stones, 
and the leaves of which show an elevated ridge like 
that of a sword, root meagre, joints close together, 
and the plant about one foot high, is the A | | sh 
(stone) ch‘ang p‘u. 
4.—One kind of shi ch‘ang p‘u is cultivated by 
the people in coarse sand. It is only from four to five 
inches high, and has fine leaves like the kw (Allium 
odorum). Root like the handle of a spoon. 
5.—The smallest kind, the root of which measures 
but two or three tenths of an inch, with leaves one 
inch long, is called gB jf ts‘ten p‘u. 
For food and for medical use only the two sorts of shz 
ch‘ang p‘u can be employed. The other sorts are worthless. 
Su Sune is erroneous in stating that the ch‘ang p‘u has 
neither flowers nor fruit. It produces in the 2nd or 3rd 
Month a spike of small yellow flowers. 
For botanical identification see the next. 
44 
