Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1.djvu/385

ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY.

193 B. frondosa and super ba, further remarkable for producing a gum corresponding in its appearance and properties with kino. The seed of the former is much esteemed by the native practioners as an anthelmintic An infusion of the flowers of both these species dye cotton, previously prepared with alum, a bright yellow, which may be changed by an alkali into a deep redish orange. The lac insect is often found on its young branches. The Punga tree (Ponoamia or Dalberoia arboreaj is one of the most ornamental trees that grows, and the seed possess the rare property, in this family, of yielding to expression a fine fixed oil, to which the natives attribute valuable medicinal properties as an external application in irruptive diseases. The wood is white and appears close grained and firm, but is not so far as I am aware much esteemed by the joiner. Roxburgh however says it serves for a variety of economical purposes, The branches like those of many other Indian trees strike root readily when stuck in the ground, and cattle are fond of brousing on the leaves, hence it might be usefully employed as fodder.

The bark and flowers of our Milletia piscidia, (Galedupa piscidia, Roxb.) have the property, when powdered and thrown into water, of poisoning fish. Dalbergia sissoo affords a timber " tolerably light, and remarkably strong, but unfortunately not so durable as could be wished. It answers well for various economical purposes; the color is a light grayish brown, with darker coloured veins. Upon the whole I scarcely know any other tree that deserves more attention, for, when its rapid growth in almost every soil, its beauty, and uses are taken into account, few trees can be compared with it" — Roxb. D. lalifolia yields the much admired black wood so universally employed for making furniture. Roxburgh observes " on the Malabar coast this tree must grow to an immense size, as I have seen planks from thence full three feet and a half broad, and if we allow nine inches of white wood to have been on the outside of these trees the circumference must have been 15 feet exclusive of the bark." This is the Sit-sal of Bengal, but is not so heavy there as that on the Coast of Coromandel and Malabar. Some other species of this genus afford good timber. The only genus of this tribe that remains to be mentioned in this hasty review is Pterocarpus, that from which kino and the red Sandal or Saunders wood is derived. The species are all trees of considerable magnitude, and those I have seen of great beauty. From wounds in the bark of P. Marsupiwn, Roxburgh observes " there issues a red juice which hardens in the open air into a dark red, very brittle "gummy resin, on being powdered it changes to a light brown not unlike powdered Peruvian bark. In the mouth it melts away like simple gum. Its taste is strongly but simply astringent as much so I think as that of the gum of the Butea, which it much resembles." It strikes a dark colour with a chalybeate. " The specimen of gum kino in the Banksean herbarium is perfectly like this. It is probable these are the same or very nearly allied" Roxb. From the P. Santalinus the red Sandalwood, a timber, chiefly employed by the dyers and colour manufactures, of the present day is obtained.

I have not myself heard of the timber of these trees being much used, and Roxburgh does not mention that of any except P. dalbergioides, which he says grows to an immense size, havinc seen planks 4 feet broad of coloured wood, exclusive of the outside white wood. He says it is not unlike Mahogany but rather redder, heavier, and coarser, in grain " that of the root is most beautifully variegated, [ may say marbled, closer grained, and darker coloured." Ainslie states that Vayngie wood P. bilobus or Marsupium, (thev are the same tree) is reckoned by the natives very useful " it is of a redish colour and is employed in making doors and windows, and for other common purposes." From the meagreness of these notices it would appsar the wood of most of them is not much esteemed or is imperfectly known. With these brief remarks I close my account of this sub-order, but I trust enough has been said to show its im- portance though not to give an adequate idea of its value to mankind.

This sub-order consists for the most part of trees and shrubs, rarely herbaceous plants. Leaves abruptly pinnate, bi-pinnate or unequally pinnate, rarely simple or bifid, that is, composed of 2 leaflets united towards the base ; often furnished with peltate glands on the rachis : stipule, free or adnate to the petiol, sometimes armed. Flowers usually bisexual, sometimes unisexuas