朱砂根(Ardisia crenata Sims)为紫金牛科朱砂根属常绿矮小灌木,树高约35～80厘米。其突出特点是树冠如伞状生长,庇护着叶下着生的果实,因而又名大罗伞、雨伞珠等。10～11月结果,核果圆球形,如豌豆大小,开始淡绿色,成熟时鲜红色,经久不落,甚美观。另有白色或黄色种,一般均能作药用。李时珍曾描述道:“朱砂根生深山中,苗高尺许,叶似冬青,叶背尽赤,夏日长茂,根大如筋,赤色,此与百两金仿佛。”朱砂根分布于长江流域各省和台湾、广东、广西、云南诸省,常生于水坑边、灌木树下较阴湿的地方。由于比较耐阴,且可观叶观 Ardisia crenata Sims (Ardisia crenata Sims) is a purple dwarf cinnabar root evergreen shrub, tree height of about 35 to 80 cm. Its prominent feature is the canopy growth such as umbrella, sheltered under the leaves of raw fruit, which is also known as Arches umbrella, umbrella beads and so on. 10 ~ November results, drupe spherical, such as pea size, began to light green, mature red when the enduring, very beautiful. Another white or yellow species, generally can be used as medicinal. Li Shizhen once described: "The vermilion root grows deep in the mountains, the seedling is tall, the leaves are like hollyss, the leaves are reddish, the summer is long, the root is big as tendons, red, The provinces of the Yangtze River Valley and Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces are often born at the edge of puddles and under damp places under shrub trees. As more shade-tolerant, and considerable leaf concept