Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/260

180 scattered, sharp, decurved, hooked prickles. Leaves 2-3in., roundish in outline, deeply palmately cut into 3-5 lanceolate, acute, shortly serrate segments (the lower often entire), glabrous or pubescent, usually very prickly on the veins beneath ; petioles as long as or longer than leaves, stout, horizontal, cylindric, very prickly. Stipules, linear- lanceolate. Flowers large, 2½-4in.; pedicels 1-3in., very prickly ; bracteoles 10-12, linear setaceous, bristly, lower half spreading or reflexed, upper half erect, with a small deflexed leafy appendage at the middle ; sepals connate half way, ovate, very acute, sharp pointed, fin, enclosed in thickened and enlarged, connivent Calyx, covered with very coarse appressed bristly hair ; seed compressed, rough with scattered papillae grey brown. Flowers yellow, with dark crimson centre. This is a very handsome climber. There seems to be no published figure of this common plant, says Trimen 1893. Talbot has done it since. (See his Forest Flora of Bombay).

Very common in Ceylon, over trees and bushes in the low country, hotter parts of India, from Bengal to Ceylon (Max- well. T. Masters).

Use : — Roots infused in water make a cooling drink for the hot weather (Talbot).

Vern. : — (Porebunder) Adbâû Buporio, Dâriânu jhâd ; (Kutch), Kûrûdvel ; (Tamil) Peru-maddi. (Gujrâti) Chanak Bhindo ; (J. Indraji.)

Habitat : — Hotter parts of India, from the North-West Provinces, eastward and southward to Ceylon.

Shrubby, with slender rod-like spreading branches, thinly covered with stellate bristles. Leaves ¾-1 in., ovate or oblong, quite entire or serrate, glandless, rough with bristly hairs ; petioles very short. Peduncles axillary, as long as or longer than the leaves. Bracteoles linear, shorter than the Calyx. Flowers white or pink, ½ in. diam. Sepals lanceolate. Corolla reflexed. Anthers whorled. Capsule globose. Seeds cottony, variable.