THE GENUINE RHUBARB. 297 



the root. This difficulty in the cultivation of the Rheum 

 palmatum induces me to say a few words of a newer im- 

 portation — the Rheum officinale. 



When the importation through Kiakhta ceased, the 

 ' Brack ' there was useless, and, therefore, done away with ; 

 and the Muscovite — the best Rhubarb — entirely disappeared 

 from the market. Henceforward, the Rhubarb was shipped 

 from the Chinese ports to Europe ; and, owing to the 

 absence of a ' Brack,' every commodity, good, bad, or in- 

 different, found purchasers. The consequence was, that a 

 quantity of inferior, decayed, or badly dried roots, Avith an 

 admixture of thin pieces cut from the lateral shoots, were 

 introduced into the trade. The quantity of Kan-su Rhu- 

 barb likewise diminished in consequence of the disturbed 

 state of that province. But, inasmuch as the need of a 

 good article continued as great as ever, and the demand 

 remained firm, new countries began interesting themselves 

 in its production, and a new and excellent species from the 

 southern provinces of China made its appearance in the 

 markets of Europe. In 1867, the French Consul at Hankau 

 (on the Yang-tse-kiang), M. Dabry, obtained through tlie 

 Chinese several growing roots of this good Rhubarb, and 

 these he forwarded to Paris, where they arrived certainly in 

 a very bad condition, notwithstanding which, one plant was 

 raised, which blossomed in 1871, and was described by 

 Baillon under the name of Rheum offieinale. 



This plant exhibited a striking contrast to all kinds of 

 Rheum, in that it formed ramified stalks above ground, a 

 foot long and of great thickness, and as no water can 

 accumulate upon it, it is easily preserved from harm. 

 Baillon considered it an inhabitant of Eastern Tibet, and 

 the only genuine parent-plant of the best Chinese Rhu- 

 barb ; and Fluckiger and Hanbury, as w^e have seen, hastily 

 accepted it as such. 



It is very possible that we may have in this new species 

 a i)lant which may take the place of the old and less easily 

 cultivated R. palmatum. But I cannot help remarking, 

 that every Rheum hitherto introduced among us, as a 



