41 evo LUC li ATA.
Fiktmils generally five. Ll.ougl. somctiu.cs only four, twice ti.e
lengtl. of ths corol, inserted into the petals, near their base.
AiUhers oval.
Mrial glands gc.ieri.lly fonr, in-scriecl by pairs into opposite
petals, one on each side of the filnment.
Pistil a small sterile one only.
Involucre, Corol, and Mcla>id glands as in the
Filammls four or five, very short, and withoui
Germ above, globular.
Slylc length of the petals.
Sligma headed.
MIC.
A native of the tops of the mountains, where it grows toasioidl
tree of about 24 ov 30 feet in height, branches included. Flowers
during the cold season. Berries ripe in April.
This tree has much the appearance ofLaurus Camphora, every
part of it s.«clls strongly of camphor, the roots and berries exceed-
Ligly so, ancl are very acrid.
I have not been able to discover whether it yields any sort of
gum 01- resin, nor do I find that the natives make any other use of
it, than occasionally for lire-wood: except that the fresh bark
well bruised and mixed with pepper, is by the hill-peoplc empIo)
e<! to cure wounds.
1S8. ATRAGENE ZEYLANICA.
Linn.sjicc. plant. 764.
Sims and Branches many, climbing over a great extent of bushes.
Leaves opposite, petroled, two'd, terminated by a tendril. Leajlels
petroled, hearted or obliquely oval, scven-ncrved. sometimes
remotely saw'd or notch'd, above pretty smooth, below
downy, 3-6 inches long, and 2-5 broad, /"«//o/i round, about
four inches long, apex tendril'cl. Peliolels curved.
Panicle terminal, and opposite from the exterior axills, crossarmed,
thin, diffuse.
Ihaveonlyfounditin hedges and in low moist lands over-run with
br-ush-wood near Samulcotah. Flowers during the wet season.
e hairy.
190. HIBISCUS CANNABINUS.
Linn. spec, plant. 979.
Gong-kura of the Telingas.
Slevi straight, simple, from 3 to 7 feet high, round, here and there
some small inoffensive prickles, otherwise smooth.
Leaves horizontal, alternate, petioled, those below hearted, about
the middle of the plant three-four-five-lob'd; lobes lanced,
the superior simply linear-lanced, but all are smooth and
saw-d; on tire under side of the base of the middle nerve is
a gland.
Peliole as long as the leaf, underside prickly.
Stipnles awl'd.
Fto««axillary, solitary, short-peduncled, very large, pale-sulphur
colour, with a deep purple bottom.
Ca/;fx: e.\terior 7-8-lea\'ed, awl'd, spreading, inserted into the
inner calyx near the base ; inner five-cleft; divisions sharppointed,
bristly, glandulous round the margins, with a large
gland on the middle of each division.
I have found this plant in a cultivated state only. It is herbaceous,
of about three months duration.
It is much cultivated by the natives. Its leaves are in general
used as an esculent vegetable, and taste something like sorrel. The
bark is eniplo)'cd as a substitute for hemp, to which it is much
inferior both in strength and durability.
The usual time of cultivation is the cold season, though it will
tlirive pretty well at all times of the year, if it has sufficient
moisture. A rich loose soil suits ii best. The seeds are sown
about as thick as hemp, but generally mixed with some sort of
small or dry grain, rendering it necessary to be so^v'n very thin,
that the other crop {which is one of those grain that does not
grow nearl)' so high) may not be too much shaded. It requires
about three montlis from the time it is sown, before it is fit
to be pulled up for watering, which operation, with the subsequent
dressing, is similar to thai hereafter described for Crotalaria
J^mcea.
Fig. <1. shows a leaf near the top of a full grown plant.
1S9. CYRILLA AQUATICA.
Bagga-pattie of the Telingas.
Rod creeping.
Stems ei-ect, one or two feet high, round, jointed, a f
Leaves: the lower (generally under water) verticil'd
certain, feather-cleft, division filiform ; above they are threefold,
sessile, broad-lanced, 3-7-nerved, .saw'd, smooth.
Kaceuie terminal, bowing, verticil'd, many-flower'd.
Bracks three-fold, hearted or leaf-like, but smaller, one-flower'd.
Flowers large, beautiful, bhiish-violet colour.
Corol: tube widening.
AiiHiers: both pairs double, connected.
191. DALBERGIA VOLUBILIS.
Bandy Girgem of the Telingas.
; round
A very beautiful, fragrant, herbaceous plant, gi
ers of pools ; appears and flowers during the wet
i t h e b o r -
Branche^: their extremities in form of tendrils, oftenwhatever
they meet with.
Leaves alternate, two-faced, feather'd. "vs'ith an odd one, four or
five inches long. Leajlels about five pair, not opposite,
nor alternate, but between the two, oval, small, pointed,
entire, smooth, interior largest, about one inch long, by
three quarters broad.
Stipxdes scarcely any.
Panicle terminal, laige, two-faced, ramifications generally twofork'd,
(standing at right angles.}
Flowers small, very numerous, blue.
Bnictes: a small one below each pedicel, and two still smaller
pressing on the calyx, oblong, rust-colour'd,
Corol : banner orbicular, emarginated. Keel below two-parted.
Filavtcnls two, l•a teral•, -f ive-cleft, kc. as in Dal.b. ergi.a pai 'julata.
49 D/VLBEHGIA VOLUBILIS.
Legume pedicel'd, linear-oblong, obtuse, membranous, waved,
smooth, from two to three inches long, by one broad, not
opening; l-2-seeded.
This is a very large, woody, species; a native of the mountaiiiiiii?
roiintries on the coast, where it runs over the hishest
but of t
drug.
t pi;
CllOlALARIA JU>fCEA.
t they only use the leaves
192. DALBERGIA SCANDENS.
Tscheratally badoo of the Telingas,
Branches pendulous, remarkably long and slender.
Leaves alternate, feather'd. with an odd one. about six inches
long. Leapb S-5 pair, opposite, oblong, or broad lanced,
obtuse, smooth, shining, entire, 2-3 inches long, and about
one broad.
Petiole ehannel'd.
Raceme axillary, single, long, bo\ving.
F/owsri fascicled, small, rose-colour'd,
Legtme lanced, membranous,
Seed two or three, kidncy-form.
A common, very large, woody, climbing, or twining species;
19.3. CROTALARIA JUNCEA.
Liiin. spec, plant. 1004.
Hemp-Crotalaria.
Tchanomoo of the Telingas.
Skill herbaceous, straight, 4-8 feet high, striated from the insei tion
of the leaves, a little downy, towards the top branchy, and
when the plant stands single, still more so.
Leaves scattered, short-petioled, lanced, obtuse, wi th a small point,
both sides covered with soft silver-colour'd hairs, from two
to six inches long, and from half to one and a half broad.
Stipules awl'd, small.
some trouble to teach the natives the use o f a plant
which hitherto they have only abused, by making some of their
farmers witnesses to every part of the culture and preparation
of the hemp, and which, on being compared with their best
Tschanamoo hemp, they were perfectly convinced wxs inlinitely
better: at the same time the culture being equally easy, and the
produce equally large, I have reason to think a few years will bring
it into general u.se in these parts, and by degrees over India.
The Hemp-Crotolaria is much cultivated by the natives during
the cold season. It is sown towards the close of the rains in
October or November, and a strong clayey soil suits it best. The
farmers say, about I20lbs. of seed to the acre is the usual allowance.
It requires no further care than to be covered with the soil,
which is doné with the common Hindoo-harrow, viz. a bush or
two dragged by two bullocks or buffaloes, over the field. In
February or March, soon after the flowers drop, and befoi'e the
seeds are ripe, it is pulled up by the roots, like hemp, half dried
in the sun, then tied up in bundles and committed to the water,
where it is steeped: the rest of the process is exactly similar to
that empfoyed on common hemp. Such plants as arc left standing
for seed, yield a bark of an inferior quality, so that the time of
pulling must be attended to. Of this hemp the natives make their
cordage, twine, fishing-nets, and a strong coarse kind of sackcloth
callcd Gunny.
It is the only plant cultivated by the natives of these parts, to
feed their milch-cows, during the dry season, and I have found by
experience, that It is very nourishing, and produces more milk
than most other fodder. It only bears two or three cuttings, after
M-hich the plants perish.
Bractesovil, one-iowcr'd.
Flowers numerous, large, of a most beautiful bright yellow.
Calyx: upper lip two-cleft; under lip three-parted at the middle,
and there gaping, at the apex united.
Cord: Banner obtuse. Keel much pointed, slightly twisted at the
apex, and closely shut.
Anthers on the shorter filaments linear, on the longer two-lob'd.
round-hearted.
Legume sessile, club'd. downy, about an inch and a quarter long.
Seeds numerous, kidney-form.
I have only found it in a cultivated state; where it grows wild
I cannot say. Flowering lime, or rather that of cultivation, the
cold season,
This useful plant yields the Hindoos their best hemp, for they
have no idea of the superior quality of the bark of the common
hemp-plant (Cannabis), which is indigenous in all parts of India;
194, IIEDYSARUM BUPLEURIFOLIUM.
Linn. spec, plant. 1051.
Stem scarce any.
Branches many, sometimes nearly erect, sometimes diffuse, very
slender, woody, 1-3 feet long.
Leaves alternate, short-petioled, linear-lanced, smooth, one and a
half or two inches long, and one eighth of an inch broad.
Stipules of the petiole chaffy, half-lanced.
Raceme terminal, pretty long.
three-fold, lanced, two-flower'd.
Flowers small, beautifully variegated with red and yellow.
Calyx four-cleft; upper division end nick'd. apices bearded.
Legime erect, sub-cylindric, composed of 3-5 almost round, pretty
looth a :ulations.
nail perennial woody specie
m dry ground ; flo^vers duri
•s generally among long
wet and cold seasons.
195. INDIGOFERA LINIFOLIA.
Linn. spec, plant, edit. Willdenow. S./A 1220.
Hedysarum linifolium. Unn. suppl. 331.
Root simple, woody, perennial, long, slender.
Sim none, but many small, slender, round, whitish-grey, ramous,
prostrate branches, in general from six to twelve inches long.