MEDICO-BOTANICAL NOTICES. 
107 
tender age from the excessive heat, yet by constantly sup- 
* plying their place with fresh seedlings, no sensible loss has 
occurred in the end from that source. The plants begin to 
blossom in April, and they continue producing successive 
crops of flowers and fruit until the cold weather begins to 
make its first appearance early in October, soon after which 
the plants die away, very few individuals surviving a second 
year." 
Rhubarb. — Through the labors of Mr. Royle, we are 
possessed of the following information with respect to the 
article above named, (Royle's Bot any, &?c., of the Himalayas 
and Cashmere:*) 
" The Rheum Rhaponticum is found in several parts of 
Russia, on the shores of the Bosphorus and Caspian Sea, 
eastwards in Siberia, and the lower mountains of the Altai 
Range; R. Sibericum and undulatum of Pallas, are con- 
sidered by Ledebour to be only varieties of this. R. leucor- 
hizum, {nanum Sievers,) is also found in the Altai moun- 
tains, and the deserts of the Kirghis. Neither of these afford 
the rhubarb of commerce, which is not found within the 
Russian territories, but well known to be brought by the 
Chinese to the Russian frontier town of K'iakhta, according to 
the treaty formed between these powers in 1772. The 
Chinese obtain the rhubarb produced in China proper, from 
that part of the province of Shensee now called Kansu, situated 
between N. lat. 35° and 40°. But the best, according to the 
Missionaries, who say it is called Tai-hoang, is procured in the 
province of Setchuen, from the mountains called Sue-chan, 
or of Snow, which extend from N. lat. 26° to 33°, and from 
about 100° to 105°, of E. longitude. That from the latter 
province probably forms much of what is called China rhu- 
barb; the Missionaries met large quantities of it brought 
down in the months of October and November. That from 
Kansu may afford some of what is called Russian rhubarb; 
* Madras Journal of Literature and Science, No. 13, Oct. 1836. 
