Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/108

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INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS.


Vern. : — Chhótá-lasora, chhótá-laslasa (Hind.) ; Chhoto- bohnaári iBeng) ; Mokhatab (Arab.) ; Sugpistan (Pers.) ; Spiru-naruvili (Tam.) ; Chinna-botku (Tel.) ; Tana, tanusi (Burm.); Geedooree (Sind.) ; Vurgoond (Guz.); Bbokar (Dec).

Habitat: — Western India, from the Punjab and Hindustan to Ceylon.

A middle-sized tree closely resembling C. Myxa. It is the C. obliqua of Wight's,' Ic. t. 1378. Innovations fulvous-villous. Leaves alternate, ovate or orbicular, sub-3-nerved, young tomentose beneath, adult glabrous, entire or nearly so, densely and softly tomentose beneath, with stellate hairs. Basal nerves 3-5. Cystolith cells not conspicuous on surface of leaves. Corymbs divaricate, dichotomous, glabrous. Calyx glabrous without, or scarcely villous on the margin, 1/5-¼in. (at flower- time), tube campanulate ; lobes distinct, densely villous within. Corolla-lobes 1/5-¼in. Berry lin. ovoid, sub-acute, 1-seeded.

Both kinds of fruit when dry are shrivelled, and of the color of a dry prune. The pulp of C. obliqua can be separated from the nut, that of C. Myxa cannot ; on sawing through the nut a heavy disagreeable smell is observable. (Dymock).

Uses: — The fruit is used as an expectorant and astringent.

In Sind, it is regarded as demulcent (Stocks).

The fruit in its raw state contains a gum used beneficially in gonorrhœa. (T. N. Ghose, in Watt's Dictionary).

811. C. obliqua, Willd. Var. Wallichii h.f.b.i.. iv. 137.

Habitat : — Western India, Lahore to Kurg.

A middle-sized tree, closely resembling C. Myxa, Linn.

Adult leaves densely stellately fulvous or white-tomentose beneath, calyx glabrescent without below, teeth densely fulvous- villous.

This is C obliqua, Var B. of all the old collectors, who have mixed it with C. obliqua type. The two are undoubtedly one ; they differ in hairs 6nVy ' and" intermediately hairy examples occur. (Clarke).