Línve.i inrge nncl nuinevous, oinsiclc smooth, inside liairy, margins
hispid; sheaths very hairy: hairs elevated on glnndulous
poiiUs, very stiff and shai p-
Spiks terminal, and from the exterior axills, generally solitary,
cylindric,
Flo7vcrs are of thi ee sorts, lieruiaphroclitc, male a, and neuter b ;
the first and second occupy the same alternate pits on one
side or the spike, while the neater stand on each side of them,
so that the spike may be called halved, or one-ranlc'd.
Calyx of the hermaphrodite and Diale florets iwo-valv'd, &c. as in
the llottboellia compressa.
Carol also as in the R, comprcssa.
Ca!jfx of the neiiter flower two-valved: valvelets oblong.
Carol: glumes two, membranous,
I s ; o f n
158. OPILIA AMENTACEA.
Bally-coraa of the Telingas.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Cal^x below, five-tooth'd. Coral five-petal'd. 7Vfci<inW bodies five,
alternate with the stamens. Sljle none. Berry one-seeded.
DESCRIPTION.
Leaves alternate, two-faced, short-petioled, egg'd or oblong, intirc,
smooth, .shining, sometimes very slightly saw'd, about three
inches long, and one and a half broad.
Slipnles none.
Raceme axillary, small, crect; before the flowers open it is every
\vherc closely imbricated with small, thiee-flower'd, targeted,
kidney-fomi. pointed, ciliated, falling bractes.
Floiuers small, greenish-white.
Calyx below, very small, five-tooth'd.
Petals five, spreading, oblong.
Xectary: five short, thick, fleshy, club'd bodies, alternate with the
Filaments five, spreading, shoiter than the petals. Anthers egg'd.
Germ oblong. Style none. Stigmas single.
Berry size of a cherry, globular, juicy, one-seeded.
This is a small tree, .
Ci rears.
ERYCIRE PANICULATA. J
Filaments from the base of the tube of the corol, short, Anlhcr.
egg'd, pointed.
Style none. Stigma large, five-furrow'd,
Berry size of a small cherry, black, pulpy, one-seeded.
This is a very large, climbing shrub, a native of our mountair
forests ; young shoots are covered with much rust-coloured iirina
160. TRIOPTERIS INDICA.
Unn. spec, plant, cil. Willdenow 2. p. 7-11.
Bey-rack-tiga of the Telingas. (Tiga means a climbing
ing plant.)
Leaves opposite, petioled, egg'd, acute, waved, and s
little scollop'd, intire, smooth, shining, from three to four
inches long, and two broad.
Petiole channel'd, downy, three-fourths of an inch long.
Panicles terminal, and axillary, cross-armed, small, delicate; or the
whole e.xtremity of the branchlets may be called one beautiful,
large, leafy, panicle.
Bractes small, rust-coloured.
Floiocrs very numerous, white.
Petals oblong, concave, without claws.
Stig-mas headed, intire; [sometimes the three styles adhere as if one.)
three, linear-oblong, united at the seeds themselves; each surrounded
by a very large membranous wing.
A large twining shrub, a native of the forests among the mountains.
I know of no use any part of this plant is put to.
159. ERYCIBE PANICULATA.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calyx below, five-tooth'd. Corol one-pctal'd. ten-lob'd. Style
none. Stigma five-furrowed. Berry one-seeded,
DESCRIPTION.
Leaves alternate, short-petioled, reflected, linear-oblong, pointed,
intire, smooth, from four to five inches long, and about two
broad.
Panicle terminal, large, oblong, covered with rust-coloured farina.
Hoa/sri numerous, small, rust-colour'd ; border yellow. The ten
divisions of the border of the corol are equal, and orbicular.
I C l . TORENIA CORDIFOLIA.
Stem erect, from six to eight inclies high, four-sided.
Brandies cross-armed, ascending, stem-like, purplish, a Httle hairy.
Leaves opposite, short-petioled, hearted, saw'd, a little liairy, one
inch long, and thiee-quarters broad.
Flowers axillary, solitary, pedicled, large in proportion to the plant,
bluish-purple.
Calyx large,bellied, five-angled, two-lip'd: upper lip slightly threetooth'd;
the under lip simply pointed, permanent.
Corel: upper lip slightly emarginated.
Mctayy cup-form, surrounds the Ijase of the germ.
Filamaits simply approach arch-wise. Anthers double, one above
the other, united by pairs.
Capsule hid in the calyx, two-cell'd, two-valv'd.
This is a small, herbaceous, rare plant, a native of the moist
pasture lands about Samulcotah. Flowers during the cold season.
162. GMELINA PARVIFOLIA.
Shicri goomoodoo of the Telingas.
This comes very near to Gmelina asiatica; the chief differences
are: it is always a smaller plant, with much smaller leaves, although
33
growing together (which is not unusual) on the same ground; i
thoin,? are more numerous, and always present; the racemes a
terminal; its leaves have the quality of thickening cold water 11!
those of Pedalium murex and Menispermum hirsutum.
The flowers and fruit are alike in both plants.
The plant is common in every forest and tincultivaied place c
the coast. Flowering time October and November.
The natives employ the water impregnated with the gclatiiioi
quality of the leaves, as a remedy for the heat of urine in gonorrhcej
Water, stirred with the branches and leaves of the Pcdaliu
mure.x, becomes in like manner mucilaginous, and is used for tl
same purpose, but soon, losing its consistency, returns to i
original state: whereas the leaves of Gmelina parviflora, beit
gently bruised by the hand in stirring, the water remains mucil
ginous till decomposed by fermentation.
163. STEMODIA VLSCOSA.
Boda-sarum of the Telingas,
Stevi herbaceons, generally bent to one side, with many spreading
branches from its base, four-sided, hairy, viscous, from six to
twenty-four inches high.
Leaves opposite, stem-clasping, linear, below oblong, above hearted ;
saw'd, hairy, viscous.
J W r j axillary, solitary, peduncled, small, violet-colour.
Bractes two, kneed, press on the calyx.
Corol: tube compress'd, longitudinally wrinkled, twicc the length of
the calyx; upper lip broad, emarginated; under lip threeparted,
i/nm«?« within the tube.
This is a small annual herbaceous plant; found on dry paddy
fields, after the crop has been cut.
The plant has a pleasant aromatic smell.
SERPICULA VKI(TIC1LI.ATA
164. SERPICULA VERTICILLATA.
Linn. siij>pl. p. .lie.
Poo-Natsoo of the Telingas.
I t consists of simple thread-form Roots, and a number of fine threadform
jointed shoots, or Slcms, some creeping, some floating
below the surface of the water.
Branekes solitary, axillary.
Leaves sessile, vcrticil'd (3-6-fbid) oblong, lanced or linear-lanced,
from an eighth of an inch to half an inch long.
axillary, sessile, from one to four in the verticill, much smaller
than the female,
J/'oi/ieone-nower'd, sub-globular, murex'd. bursting irregularly.
PrnViiif/i three-leaved : leaEets inverse-egg'd, reflected,
Corol tliree-petal'd. Petals wedge-form, reflected-
Filamenls three, short, ascending. Anthers very large, two-lob'd.
opening with an elastic jerk. Pollen white, very large grain'd.
on a distinct plant, axillary, generally solitary, though sometimes
there arc two from the same verticill.
Germ sessile, awl'd, ending in the long sub-erect receptacle of the
flowe:-, which elevates it above the water, while expanded.
Stigmas three, lanced.
Capsule has the appearance of asiliqua; awl'il, sometimes mure.x'd,
one-cell'd. Seeds 3-5, oblong, pointed at each end.
When the male flowers arc ready to expand, the murex'd spathc
bursts, the Ilowers are then quickly detached, and swim remote
from the parent |)laiit on the surface of the water in searcli of the
female Rowers, resting on the extremities of the rellected leaflets of
the perianth and petals of the corol.
Grows in clear standing sweet water; flower,? during the cold
The Barampore sugar refiners use this herb, while moist, to cover
the surface of their sugars, as clay is used in the West India
islands; and in two or three days the operation is finished exceedingly
well.
165. VALLISNERIA OCTANDRA.
Root fibrous, annual,
icrti/M radical, linear, tapering to a fine point, smooth, from nin
to twelve inches long, and half an inch, or less, broad.
xillary, straight, a little compressed,
more, so as to raise the flowers above
Pedimcle, or rather Scapc,
length of the leaves, (
the surface of the water,
one-Ieavcd, sub-cylindric, somewhat diaphanous, open at
the top for the une.xpaiided Ilowers to pass through.
Flowei-s numerous, in .succession, white, pretty large, pedicel'd.
Pedicels lengthen, when the flowers are ready to expand, so
as to elevate them just above the mouth of the spathe.
Perianth three-leav'd: leaflets lanced.
Corol [hree-j)etard: petals linear, reci
length of the calyx.
Filaments of unequal length, ere
Anthers linear.
Germ abortive, three-sided. Styles thre
: than t^
., shorter tha. e petals.
:t plant-
Seape shorter and thicker than the:
Spathe as in (lie male, one-flower'd.
Flojuers white, elevated above the germ, and above the mouth of
the spathe, by a very long receptacle, stile, or pedicel, which
makes up for the shortness of the scape, and brings the flower
nearly ofa height with the tops of the leaves.
Perianth three-p;irted.
Corol as in the male, only the petals arc here filiform.
Germ cylindric, obsoletely three-sided, sessile in the bottom of the
ending in the above mentioned flower-elevating re-
Style three-cleft to near the base : divisions filiform.
spathe,
ceptacle.
white.
Grows in stagnant, shallow, f