Indian Medicinal Plants/Natural Order Tamariscineæ

by Kanhoba Ranchoddas Kirtikar and Baman Das Basu

N. O. TAMARlSCINEÆ

121. Tamarix gallica, Linn., h.f.b.i, i. 248.

Syn. : -T. Indica, Willd.

Sans. : — Jhâvooka, Shâvaka.

Vern. :— Jhâu (H. & B); Jhav-nu-jhâda (Gnz.); Pilchi, Koa; rukh; lainya; jhau; lai (Ph.); Atru-shavnkhu-maram (Jain); Eru-saru-manu (Tel.); Ler, lai, jhau (Sind.).

The galls: — Baramâi; barri mâin (H.); Magiya main. (Bomb.) The manna : — Gazangabin and Gazanjabin (Arab., Pers., and Bomb.)

Habitat: — Throughout India, near rivers, and along the sea-coast.

A glaucous, gregarious, small tree or shrub. Bark rough greenish-brown, that of young branches reddish-brown, smooth, with small whitish specks. Wood whitish, occasionally with a red tinge, open and coarse-grained, fairly hard and tough, but not strong. Pores small and moderate-sized, numerous, more so in spring wood. Medullary rays numerous, broad, but short (Gamble). Annual rings distinct (Brandis). Leaves minute, not sheathing, apex acute, patent or loosely appressed. Flowers mostly bisexual, pentamerous, white or pink, crowded in long slender spikes, collected in dense panicles at the ends of branches and forming a large irregular mass of flowers. Bracts shorter than flowers. Disk slightly 5-or 10-crenate; filaments not dilated at base; styles short, stigma often almost sessile. Capsule 3/16 in. long, more than twice the length of the withered sepals supporting it. Flowering time, August to February (Brandis).

Parts used : — The galls and manna.

Uses : — The galls are employed medicinally by the natives as an astringent. Dr. Stocks speaks highly of the astringent properties of the galls, and from personal experience recommends a strong infusion of them as a local application to foul, sloughing ulcers and phagedenic buboes. By the natives they are also administered internally in dysentery and diarrhœa (Ph. Ind., p. 29.)

The Hakims consider the manna to be detergent, aperient and expectorant (Dymock.)

122. T. dioica, Roxb., h.f.b.i., i. 249, Roxb. 274,

Sans. : — Pichoola.

Vern. :— Lei; pilchi (Pb).); Gaz., lao (Sindh.); Lal-jhau (B. & H.)

Habitat :— From Sindh and the Punjab to Assam and the Western Peninsula, near and in the bed of rivers, and on the sea-coast. A gregarious glaucous shrub or small tree. Bark, with reticulate cracks showing the red inner bark. Wood moderately hard, outer portion white. Pores small to moderate-sized in groups or short radial lines, more abundant and larger in the spring wood. Medullary rays very prominent, short, fine to very broad, very prominent on radial section. The distance between the rays is generally three or four times the transverse diameter of the pores. The tree gives a gum of bitter sweet flavour (Gamble), Leaves sheathing, sheath tubular, apex acuminate, closely appressed, with a broad white margin. Flowers dioecious, pentamerous, purple or light pink, in stiff compact cylindrical pedunculate spikes often forming loose panicles at the ends of branches. Bracts as long as or nearly as long as the flowers. Male flowers : stamens alternating with the 5 lobes of the flesh} 7 disk, anthers distinctly apiculate. Female flowers: 5 thin linear staminodia; styles filiform, thickened at the end, longer than the ovary. Capsule 3/16 in. long, about twice the length of the withered sepals and petals at the base.

Use: — The twigs and galls are used in medicine as an astringent (Stewart).

123. T. articulata, Vahl., h.f.b.i., i. 249.

Syn. :.— T. orientalis, Forsk.

Vern. :— Faras, farwa, marlei (Pb.); Asrelei (Sind);. The galls : — Choti-mâin (H.); Magiya-mâin (Bomb-); Lal-jhâu (B. & H.)

Habitat : — Sind and the Punjab.

A moderate-sized tree, with an erect trunk, frequently 6-7 ft, in growth. Bark grey, rough; wood white moderately hard. Annual rings indistinct. Pores moderate-sized, often in groups or sub-divided, or singly between the medullary rays, scanty. Medullary rays short, fine to very broad, the distance between the rays somewhat greater than the transverse diameter of the groups of pores ; prominent on a radical section as. irregularly-shaped plates, giving the wood a handsome silver grain (Gamble). Branchlets articulate at base of sheath, often grey with saline efflorescence. Leaves sheathing, sheath 1/10 in. long, obliquely truncate, apex triangular, acute, adpressed. Sheath and apex with impressed glands. Flowers bisexual or monœcious, loosely scattered on long slender spikes which are generally collected at the ends of branches in loose panicles. Bracts shorter than flowers; stamens 5. Disk entire or indistinctly 5-lobed. Capsules ⅛ in. long. Flowering time, May to September. The extremities of branchlets and the leaves on older branchlets are shed during the cold season; new shoots and leaves come out about May.

Parts used : — The bark and galls.

Uses : -The galls are employed as an astringent (Royle). The bark is bitter, astringent and probably tonic. (Ph. Ind.. p. 20.)

The bark powdered and, in combination with oil and Kamala, is used as an aphrodisiac by the natives. It is also employed as an application in eczema capitis, and other diseases (Watt).

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124. Myricavia elegans, Royle., h.f.b.i, i. 250.

Vern. ;-Humbu? Umbu (Pb.)

Habitat : — Western Himalaya from Garwhal to Ladak.

A bush, with smooth, striate slender stem. Leaves oblong- ovate or oblanceolate, narrowed at the base, often crowded. Bracts, ovate, about twice as long as the pedicels, but short acuminate, with narrowly membranous margins. Flowers 3 in., lateral lax; white (Brand is.) Sepals connate below, much shorter than petals, obtusely triangular at apex. Stamens connate for one- fourth of their length, 10, alternately long and short, monadelphous. Ovary tapering, with 3 sessile stigmas; placentas basal, very short, adnate to the middle of the valves; ovules many. Seeds exalbuminous, with a usually stalked plume. Embryo ovoid.

Use : — The leaves form an application to bruises, &c, in Lahoul (Aitchison).

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