392 ON THE GROWTH OF RHUBARB IN CHINA. 
books and manuscripts intended for the use and instruction of the 
Chinese themselves. An opportunity of obtaining such information 
was recently afforded me by Mr. Lockhart, who kindly supplied me 
with some valuable Chinese books, from which I extracted the facts 
which I have recorded at page 269 of Pereira's ' Manual of Materia 
Medica.' This information respecting the various localities of the 
rhubarb plant was sufficiently interesting to induce me to make further 
inquiries through the same chanuel. Mr. Lockhart undertook to con- 
vey my wishes to China, and if possible to obtain either the leaf, 
flower, or the fruit of the plant itself. He failed to obtain these, like 
others, he had often tried and failed before ; but he procured from the 
Rev. Griffith John, a missionary residing at Hankow, the following 
extracts from the ' Pun-tsau,' or Chinese Herbal, which, as well as the 
'Pieh-luh,' which it quotes, is a work of good authority. Wu-pu, Tau- 
hung-king, Kung, Su-sung, and Sung-ki are Chinese writers. I am 
indebted to Mr. John for the translation. The notes are added by Mr. 
Lockhart. 
I give the extracts from the ' Pun-tsau ' exactly as I received them, 
that they may be available to others as well as myself ; but to make 
them more intelligible I have subsequently rearranged and condensed 
them, and have finally drawn from them a few conclusions. 
Extract from the 'Pun-tsau.' 
1. In the ' Pieh-luh ' it is stated that rhubarb grows in valleys west 
of the Yellow River, and in the district of Lung-si in the province of 
Shen-si. The root is extracted in the second and the eighth months, 
and dried by means of artificial heat. 
2. Wu-pu says : As to the rhubarb which grows in Si-chwan (Sz-chuen), 
and probably Lung-si, in the second month* its closed leaves are of a 
deep yellowish colour, and its stalk is more than 3 feet (Chinesef) high. 
In the third month the flower is yellow ; in the fifth month the seed is 
black ; and in the eighth month the root is extracted. The root, 
which contains a yellowish sap, is cut up in slices and dried in the 
shade (i. e. without either sun or artificial heat). 
3. Tau-hung-Jcing says that the Si-chwan rhubarb is not equal in 
quality to that of Lung-si in Shen-si ; that it is very bitter in taste, and 
extremely black in colour ; that that which is dried in the shade in the 
west of Si-chwan is superior to that which is dried in the sun in the 
north of the same province ; and that that which is dried by means of 
artificial heat is slightly charred, and not equal to the rhubarb in the 
west of the province in resisting the woodworm. 
4. Kung says that the leaf and stalk of the rhubarb resemble those 
of the Yang-ti plant. Its stalk, which grows to the height of six or 
[* The Chinese months are lunar, the first beginning in February or March.— L. 
f The Chinese foot is about 13 inches. It varies from 12^ to 14.— L. 
