mountnlns borclcring on ilic banks of ihe Gockveiy above RajahnunKl.
y, Pegu, kc. See. Lurd Covnwnllis and Colonel Kyd have
begun sonic time ago lo introduce it into Bengal, where it thrives
well- On ihis coast it flowers in ihc hot season. Seed ripe in
August and September.
The ^v-ood of this tree, the only useful part of it, IVoin long experience
has l>een found to be l>y far the most \:selul timber in Asia;
it is light, easily worked, and at the same time both strong and
durable: that which groNYs near the banks of the Godavcry is
beautifully veined, consi<lerably closer in thcgrain and heavier than
any other 1 have seen ; it is therefore particularly fit for lurniture,
gun carriages, &c. where small timber is waiited. For ship building
the tcke i.s reckoned .superior to any other son of wood, being light,
.strong, and very d.irable, either in or ot.t of the water. Pegu prciluees
the largest quantity, the large rivers there enable the natives to
Ijring it clown to the sea poits from the interior mountainous parts
of the coinUry, where it grows, at a cheap rate, which enables them
to sell it lower than in any other part of India.
(corpti:
inlted.
SljUs seemingly two, united, short, thick.
SUgnm (corpus truncatum) large, targeted, five-cornered, before the
flowers open these corners adhere firmly to five incurved yellow
glandulous parts of the nectary, and between them the
anthers; it requires some force to separate them to have a
view of the anthers; afterwards, when the flower is full
Ijlown, they separate of themselves; the ;mthers are then seen
poised, as it were, on the five black pointed angles of the
Follicles lender, each aboui )r four inches long,
Root perennia
Stem annual, t
Leaves opposii
7. CEROPEGIA BULBOSA.
Manehy Mandu of the Telingas.
Root, bulbous, solid, a little flattened, with several fibres from it base,
size o f a small turnip.
Sim. twining, herbaceous, smootli, succulent, from two to four feet
long.
Leaves oppo.sitc, short petiolcd, obverse-egged, with a small point ;
entire, fleshy; size various.
UmhellcU lateral, length of the leaves, pedunclcd, few-flowered, di-
Floxocrs pretty large, erect: tube greenish, border pinple.
a / j . v below, fix-e-toothcd, toothlcis acute, permanent.
Cord one-petaled, tube swelled at the base, contracted about the
middle, enlarging from thence to the mouth: border five-parted
: segments linear, downy, purple, erect ; tops united, gaping
at the sides,
Sectary composed of five compoun<l bodies, which surround and
hide tlie pistil; from each rises a curved filament, which is
about half the length of the tube.
Anlhcrs. if they can be so called, for they arc only yellow scales ;
live pair resting on the black pointed angles of the stigma,
Vmhellets lat
Flowers, kc
CEROPEGIA ACUMINATA.
n d a o f l h e Telingas.
, a flattened solid bulb ^vith few fibres from i
•vining, smooth, jointed.
erect, short-petiolcd, linear, tapering from
ute point, succulent, entire; from two to fon
lid a quarter or half an inch broad at the base
roadest.
ral, spreading, peduneled, shorter than the lea
exactly as in C. bulbosa.
ative of the same places with the former ; Iloweri
Every part of it is esculent, as in the foregoing.
9. CEROPEGIA TUBEROSA.
Batsala-mandu of the Telingas.
Rnoi, many small tuberous knobs, with thick fleshy fibres; perennial,
Sim twining, herbaceous, annual, round, smooth, jointed, much
less succulent than eitlier of the former, from four to twelve
feet long.
X r am opposite, petioled, below hearted, about the middle egged,
above oblong; all are a little pointed, waved, entire, smooth,
margins coloured, two to three inches long, and one or two
Fclio/e channelled,
Umbcllels lateral, erect, peduneled, longer than the leaves.
Calyx as in the foimer.
Carol: tube as in C. bulbosa; here the segments of the border either
adhej-e for full half their length, or do not meet; filaments of
the nectary chiblied.
This, like the . for
;uler
1 dry uncultivated land
le season, and, like the
palatable than those of C. bulbosa, though i 0 large.
Grows amongst bushes, in dry barren uncultivated ground and
hedges. Flowers during liie hot season.
Every part of this plant is eat by the natives, either raw. or
stewed in their curries. The fresh roots taste like a raw turnip, tlie
leaves and the stem like purslane.
10. CEROPEGIA JUNCEA.
Bella-gada of the Telingas.
Root tuberous, with many ramous fibres.
Slem twining, round, smooth, jointed, succulent.
Leaves very remote, and very small, opposite, sessile, lanced, e
tire, fleshy.
í7«/icí/í/Hateral, pedunclcd, or axillary, erect, few-flowcred.
Flowei-s erect, very large, beautifully variegated with yellow, gree
and purple.
Pcduncle and Pedicels clubbed.
Calyx as in the former.
Carol: mouth of tlie tube and border much larger in proportion
the other parts than the last, but in other respects the same.
^''eclary nearly the same.
Pistil, kc. the same.
JPIiOIA JUNCEA. iIÌI'US ANACARDIUM.
This, like the former, lias perennial roots, and an annual stem
s a native of similar places; flowers at the same time; and, like th.
brmer, every part of this plant is esculent; cat raw it abates thirst
11. PERIPI.OCA ESCULENTA.
Unn.Supjd. 168.
Oudy-palla of the Tcling;is.
filiform, fibrous.
Sims and Branches numerous, twining, round, smooth, rtinning
over bushes of considerable size.
Leaves opposite, spreading, si ton-petioled, linear, tapering to a fine
point, rounded at the base, entire, smooth, from four to six
inches long, and about three-eighths of an inch broad.
i?«cc)«c hiteral, long, few-flowered.
Floioers large, beautif.d white, ^^•ith a small tinge of the rose, and
striated with purple veins, inodorous.
Xedary and Stamais as in Asclcpias and Pergularia.
Follicles oblong, inflated.
It is a twining |5ercnnial, grows in hedges and among bushes on
the banks of water courses, pools, kc. casts its leaves during tlie
dry season; is in flower and foliage during the lainy. On this
coast I do not find that the natives ever eat it, nor apply it to any
purpose whatever. Cattle eat it. Its elegant flowers render it well
deserving o f p l a c e in the flower garden.
them famous; this Juice is of a pale milk colour, till perfectly
ripe, when it becomes black,
Male flowers on a separate tree, they are smaller than the hermaphrodite.
Calyx and Carol, as in the hermaphrodiic.
Filaments five, the length of the petals.
Anthers much larger than in the hermaphrodite.
FistU none; but in its place a semiglobular hairy glandulous body.
A large tree, bearing male flowe . and Iiermaphroditt
another. It ¡sanative of all the mot
ing time J u l y and August. Seed ripe in J a n u a ry and February.
The wood of this tree is reckoned of no use, not only on account
of Its softness, but also on account ofits containing much acrid juice,
which renders it dangerous to cut down and work upon. The fleshy
receptacles on which the seed rests, are roa.sted in the ashes, and
eat by the natives; their taste is exceedingly like that of roasted
apples; before they arc roasted, they taste adstringent and acrid,
a painful sensation on the tongue for some time. The kernels
rarely
12. SEMECARPUS ANACARDIUM.
Linn. Snj,pl. 182.
Nella-jiedy of the Telingas.
Marking-nut of the English.
Anacardium orientale of the Materia Medica.
trunk very large, straight, high, covered with grey scabrous bark,
the bark of the younger p;nts smooth, light ash-colour; its
inner substance contains in crevices a quantity of a white, sofi,
almost insipid gum.
Branches numerous, spreading.
iifly£i about the extremities of the branchlets, alternate, petioled,
wedge-form, roimded at the apex, entire, firm, above pretty
smooth, bclo\v whitish and scabrous, from nine to eighteen
inches long, and from four to eight broad.
Fetich one and a half or two inches long, half-round.
Fanidc terminal, very large, composed of many simple spikes, that
ofthc m;ile tree much slenderer, but as large or larger.
Brads many, small, falling.
Flowers numerous, small, ol' a dirty greenish yellow colour.
Ha-mnjÂroilite flowers as in the Supplementum Plantarum.
Pericarp none. Receptacle erect, fleshy, pear-shaped, smooth, when
ripe )'ellow, :ibout the size of the nut.
Seed: a single nut, resting upon the receptacle, hearted, flattened
on both sides, smooth, shining, black ; the cover or the shell
of the seed is composed of t«'0 lamina:, the inner hard, the
outer less so, and leathei )' ; between iliem are cells which contain
die lalack corrosive resinous juice, which has long made
The green fruit well pounded into a pulp makes good bird-lime.
The pure bhiek acrid juice of the shell is employed by the natives
externally to remove riieumatic pains, aches, and s|)rains; a little is
well rubbed over the part aflected; but in tender constitutions it
often produces inflammation and swelling, doing much more harm
than good. I think where it has not these disagreeable effects, which
is generally the case, it is an efficacious remedy.
It is employed by the Telinga pliysicians in the cure of almost
every sort ol' venereal complaint; it is prepared as follows; take
of this black juice and of the expressed juice of garlic, each one
ounce, expressed juice of fresh tamarind-trcc leaves, coco-nut oil,
and sugar, of each two ounces, mix and boil tliemfor a few minutes;
a table spoonful is given to the patient twice a day. I know nothing
of the efficacy of this composition myself.
It is universally employed to mark all sorts of cotton cloth ; the
colour is improved and prevented from running, by a little mixture
of quick-lime and water. This juice is not soluble in water, and only
diffusible in spirits of wine, for it soon falls to the bottom, unless the
menstruum be previously alkalized. The solution is then pretty
complete, and of a deep black colour. It shiks in, but soon unites
perfectly with expressed oils; alk:iline lixivium acts upon it with
n p h
;cted floivei' ¡ iiified ; of it
13. CURCULIGO ORCMIOIDES.
Garl7i. sem. I. 63. lab. iS.
Nalla-tady of the Telingas.
RMÍ tuberous, ^v¡tll many fleshy vermicular fibres.
Leaves numerous, all radical, petiolcd, sword-forrn, nerved,slender;
when young there are a very few soft white hairs on them,
from six to eighteen inches long, and half or three-quarters of
Petiole channelled, below sheath-form, embracing those within.
Raceme solitary, axillary, two-ranked, its apex just appearing above
the eartli.
Fedrincle compressed, clubbed, about an inch long.
Bracts below remote, above nearer, spath-like, jjointed, decreasing