RHEUM PALMATUM. 
121 
or seven feet, it is round, hollow, jointed, and branched at the top ; 
the lower leaves are very large, palmated, as the name implies, acu- 
minate and rugged : they stand upon long smooth footstalks, channel- 
led the whole length, grooved above, and rounded at the edges, with 
ferruginous dots ; the leaves become smaller towards the summit of 
the plant; the blossoms appear in the early part of summer : they 
consist of a number of small white monopetalous flowers, surround- 
ing the stem, and collected at the extremity of the branches into a 
kind of spike ; the limb of the corolla is divided into six obtuse 
segments ; filaments nine, inserted into the corolla, and supporting 
oblong anthers ; the germen is short, triangular, with scarcely any 
style, and supports three reflected stigmas ; this germen becomes a 
triangular seed, acute, with membranaceous margins. Linnseus says, 
" Genus hocce licet ad Rumicem proxime accedat, ab eo tamen dis- 
tinciissimum esse, ex dictis patet."* 
The Rhubarb of commerce is commonly distinguished by the names 
of Turkey and East India Rhubarb ; both names extremely inappli- 
cable, as the former is brought by the Bukharians from the Chinese 
town of Sini, in the neighbourhood of which it grows on a chain of 
lofty mountains, and the latter we receive direct from Canton in 
China. There is likewise a distinction made in what is called Tur- 
key rhubarb, into Russian and Chinese, though they both come from 
the same place. The Russian is always better and cleaner than the 
Chinese, from the great care taken in examining it by order of the 
government : for this purpose a qualified person is sent to Kiachta 
oo the Russian frontier, who receives it from the Bukharians, when 
the bad is immediately burnt, and the best parcels sent to Moscow 
and St. Petersburgh, carefully packed. 
Different authors have ascribed different periods for the taking up 
of the roots for drying ; according to Pallas, the Tartars take them 
up in April and May, Forsterf says they are dug up in winter, and 
Bell in autumn. The roots being thoroughly cleaned from the 
earth by washing and the smaller branches removed, are cut trans- 
versely into moderate sized pieces; these are placed on tables, and 
frequently turned during the first days, until the viscid yellow juice 
ithat exudes is absorbed by the root, and incorporated with its 
substance. When this juice has ceased to exude holes are made 
in the pieces, through which they are slung, and then hung up to 
* Linn. Genera Plantaram. 
+ History of Voyages to the North. 
VOL. r. ^ 
