This experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of several organic compost on the growth and rootyield of Angelica gigas Nakai with organic cultivation. After fertilizing the soil with organic fertilizer, the dry weight ofliming fertilizer showed a slow change, while microorganism fertilizer decreased about 29% until 20 day after fertilizing. At110 days after fertilizing, microorganism fertilizer decreased more than liming fertilizer. Liming fertilizer decomposedslowly, while microorganism fertilizer decomposed early on rapidly but gently after 20 days in decomposed rate of organicfertilizer. Dried root yields per 10a of A. gigas were not significance between 277.6㎏ in conventional fertilizer and 277.7㎏,280.5㎏ in N 1.5, N 2.0 times of microorganism fertilizer. Decursin and decursinol angelate contents in A. gigas were9.08~9.07% from N 1.0 and N 1.5 times in liming fertilizer, and 7.94~8.12% from N 1.5 times and N 2.0 times in microor-ganism fertilizer, compared to 7.31% of conventional treatment.

These studies were conducted to discriminate Cynanchum wilfordii, C. auriculatum, Metaplexis japonica, andPolygonum multiflorum by morphological characters. Cynanchum wilfordii, C. auriculatum, and Metaplexis japonica(Ascle-piadaceae) were easily distinguished from Polygonum multiflorum by twining stem to the left, producing opposite leaves,having laticiferous stems and leaves at cutting cross-sectionally, and lacking lignification of the stem. Four species had differ-ent morphological characters of flower. Comparing four species to fruit type, three species of Asclepiadaceae had follicle,while Polygonum multiflorum had achene with three wings. Follicle shape was lanceolate, narrowly lanceolate, and widelylanceolate in C. wilfordii, C. auriculatum, and Metaplexis japonica, respectively. Whereas seed color of four species was darkbrown similarly, seed shape and 1,000 seed weight were useful characters to discrimate between three species ofAsclepiadaceae and Polygonum multiflorum. Shape and color of root were thickened and yellowish brown in C. wilfordii andC. auriculatum. They were thin and long and white in Metaplexis japonica, and fusiform and reddish brown in Polygonummultiflorum. They would be useful characters to distinguish Cynanchum spp., Metaplexis japonica, and Polygonummultiflorum, however, impossible characters to discriminate between C. wilfordii and C. auriculatum.