Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/209

Rh [[smaller| of the oil, (2) palmitic acid, in considerable amt. (3) linolenic and isolinolenic acids, the latter preponderating, and (4) oleic acid, in relatively small amount. A phystosterol, m. 133°, was also isolated. Both the physical properties and chein. compn. of the above mentioned oil render it evident that the chaulmoogra oil of European commerce could never have been obtained from Gynocardia seeds. On the other hand, representative samples of commercial chaulmoogra oil have been found to agree closely in character with the oil expressed from genuine Taraktogenos seed, thus completely confirming, from the chem. side, the botanical observations of Prain (Pharm. J. 64, 522 (1900); 66, 596 (1901)) with respect to the source of chaulmoogra oil. Gynocardia seeds contain, besides the fatty oil, the cryst. cyanogenetic glucoside, gynocardin, C 13 H ld 9 N, which has, likewise, been made the subject of a complete chem. investigation (J, Chem. Soc., 87, 349-57 (1905); 97, 1285-9 (1910)). Mr. Power also notes that the total compn. of chaulmoogra oil, as given by Chattopadhyaya, is equal to 110%, which is obviously an error. Chemical Abstracts, Jan. 10, 1916 p, 89.}}

 

Syn.:—Celastrus verticillata, Roxb. 209.

Vern.:—Tibilti (Nepal); Bongzam (Lepcha); Yekdi; Yekadi (Bomb.); Vehkali; Vikhari; Vehyenti; yekadi (Mar.).

Habitat:—Subtropical Himalaya, from Sikkim to Garwhal. Khasia hills and Mishmi; Western Peninsula, Concan to the Nilgiri.

A small evergreen tree, very handsome. "Bark very thin, light greenish-grey, with very prominent horizontal lenticels, up to nearly ½ in, long. Wood white, moderately hard, close-grained. Pores small, often sub-divided or in strings, scanty or irregularly distributed. Medullary rays fine to moderately broad" (Gamble). Branches often umbelled, glabrous. Leaves pale beneath, margin waved, 4-6 in. (Brandis). 2-8 by 1-3 in. (H. ƒ. and Th.), glabrous, shining, coriaceous, acute or acuminate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate. Flowers yellow, numerous, small, pubescent, in much-branched, terminal, compound, dense corymbs, sometimes leafy below; branches 1-3 in., spreading, glabrous or pubescent; sepals ovate, obtuse or acute, subciliate. Petals erect, claws connivent. Stamens 