512 BOTANICON SINICUM. 
The ancient Dictionary Shuo wen explains the character 
RL cheng by Fil] 7K solid tree. 
Pen king:—Ni cheng. In the Index of the Pen king 
XK HEE nit cheng shi (fruit). Taste bitter. Nature uniform. 
Non-poisonous. The leaves are also used in medicine. 
Pie lu:—The nt cheng shi is produced in Wu ling 
[in Hu nan, App. 394] in river-valleys. It is gathered at 
the beginning of winter. 
T‘ao Hune-x1ne :—It is a common, handsome evergreen 
tree with luxuriant foliage. The bark is green, the flesh 
(inner bark) is white. It is like the Ts‘in p% [see 823]. Itis 
a handsome evergreen tree. It (the fruit) is recommended in 
the prescriptions to promote longevity, but commonly it is 
not used in medicine. 
Su Kune [7th cent.]:—The leaves of the md cheng 
resemble those of the 4 5% tung ts‘ing tree and also the 
#3 FF how ku [Jlex, see further on]. The fruit ripens in the © 
9th month and is black like the niu li [Rhamnus. See 341]. 
T‘ao Hune-K1ne is wrong in comparing it to the Ts‘in p%. 
The latter has small leaves which wither in winter, the ni 
cheng has large evergreen leaves. 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—The ni cheng is a common 
tree. It is mentioned in the Shan hai hing [v. supra]. 
Evergreen leaves like those of the ou ku and the tung ts‘ing 
[v. supra]. It blossoms in the 5th month. Small, greenish 
white flowers. The fruit is produced in the 9th month. 
When ripe it is black like that of the niu Ii tse‘. Some say 
that the nu cheng and the tung ts‘ing are identical. Bat 
the tung ts‘ing is distinguished by its wood being as white 
as ivory. Its fruit is also used in medicine. In Ling 0% 
(South China, App. 197] there is one kind of ni cheng which 
produces red flowers in great profusion. But this is quite 
different and is not used in medicine. 
