Fenxi Bamboo Joint Ginseng

Fenxi Bamboo Joint Ginseng

　　Fenxi Bamboo Joint Ginseng

　　It is a perennial herb growing 50–80 cm tall, or higher. The rhizome lies horizontally, resembling a bamboo shoot, fleshy and thick, white in color, with depressed stem scars between nodes. The leaves are palmately compound, with 3–5 leaflets arranged in whorls at the top of the stem. The petiole is 8–11 cm long. There are usually 5 leaflets, which are membranous, obliquely ovate-elliptic to oblong-elliptic, measuring 5–18 cm in length and 2–6.5 cm in width. The apex is gradually acuminate, occasionally long-acuminate, the base is cuneate to nearly rounded, and the margins have fine or double serrations. The upper surface of the leaf has no hairs or sparse bristly hairs, while the lower surface is either hairless or sparsely covered with dense hairs.

　　The umbellate inflorescence is solitary at the top of the stem, bearing 50–80 or more flowers. The peduncle is 12–20 cm long, glabrous or with sparse short soft hairs. The flowers are small, pale green, and the flower stalks are about 10 mm long. The calyx is green, with a terminal five-toothed margin, and the teeth are triangular-ovate. There are 5 petals, oblong-ovate, arranged in an imbricate fashion. The stamens are 5, with filaments shorter than the petals. The ovary is inferior, with 2–5 locules, and the styles are 2–5, connate below the middle but separate above, curving outward when in fruit. The fruit is a drupe-like berry, spherical, turning red when mature, with a diameter of 5–7 mm. There are 2–5 seeds, white, triangular-oblong-ovate, about 4.5 mm long. Flowering occurs from May to June, and fruiting from July to September.