394 ON THE GROWTH AND PREPARATION OF 
It seems that the Yang-ti plant has been mistaken by some for the 
rhubarb on account of its resemblance to it. Li-shi-chen affirms that 
it is quite a distinct species. 
The foregoing account, as Mr. John observes in a letter to Mr. Lock- 
hart, is far from satisfactory. The information is meagre and somewhat 
contradictory ; nevertheless, it appears to me to add something to our 
former knowledge, and to throw a little light on the species, as it cer- 
tainly does on the localities of the rhubarb plant. It is probably by 
collecting and comparing such information that we shall ultimately get 
at the truth. Avoiding repetitions, the above mentioned statements may 
be arranged as follows : — 
Localities. — The rhubarb plant grows in the provinces of Shan-si and 
Shen-si, which are situated respectfully east and west of the Yellow 
river, in the upper part of its course, before it turns eastwards towards 
the Yellow sea. Lung-si, in the province of Shen-si, is one of the best 
localities. It also grows in Chil-li and other places further north, in 
Kan-suh, which borders on Mongolia, north of Koko-nor, and the Nau- 
chan mountains, and everywhere among the high mountains of the 
province of Sz-chuen (or Si-chwan), which lies to the east of Thibet, 
and 3-400 miles north-east of the northern extremity of Birmah. 
Description of the Plant. — The root resembles that of the Chinese 
potato, or white yam {Dioscorea Batatas). It is from one to two feet long, 
and thick enough to be used as a pillow. It is covered with a black 
skin, is soft and moist, and contains a yellowish sap. The plant puts 
forth its leaves in the first or second month. The unexpanded leaves of 
the Sz-chuen plant in the second month, are of a deep yellowish colour ; 
those of the Shen-si plant, in the first month, are green, as large as a 
fan, and resemble those of the Pima (Ricinus communis, Linn.) Kung 
describes the rhubarb leaf as coarse, long, and thick. In Sz-chuen, the stem 
is more than three feet high in the second month. According to Kung, 
who does not mention the locality, the stem attains the height of six or 
seven feet, and is red, crisp, sour, and eatable in its raw state. In the third 
or fourth month it opens its yellow flowers, which are succeeded in the 
fifth month by a black seed (nut). The root, leaf, and stalk of rhubarb, 
according to Kung, resemble those of the Yang-ti plant. This writer 
says that the root is red, but, in other respects, his description of it 
accords with that of the other writers. 
Preparation and Drying of ike Root. — The root is taken up in the 
seventh or eighth month, and the black skin which covers it is removed. 
It is then cut in slices, either longitudinally, as in Sz-chuen, or trans- 
versely, as in Shen-si and elsewhere, and dried in the shade with or 
without artificial heat. The following mode of drying is said to be the 
best : — a stone is heated, and the roots, cut in transverse slices about 
an inch thick, are placed upon it. By this means the pieces are partly 
dried. A hole is then made in each, and the pieces are strung on a cord, 
