Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/406

326 surfaces; base rounded; nerves prominent beneath. Petiole ¾in., transversely wrinkled. Rachis extra-axillary angular, covered with brownish strigose hairs. Flowers ⅛in. diam. Male flowers: — Calyx minute, pilosulous, cup-shaped, obscurely 4-5-lobed. Petals 1/12in., glabrous, oblong, acute. Stamens as long as the petals, filaments glabrous, flat, strap-shaped ; anthers 2-celled. Rudiment of pistil conical. Female flowers:— Calyx and Corolla as in the male. Ovary obovoid, pilosulous, surrounded by 5 hypogynous abortive stamens. Stigma subsessile, conical. Ovules 2, collateral. Fruit 1-1½in. olive-shaped, somewhat compressed, bright orange-red, rugose and strigose externally, smooth within.

Use :— The oil is highly esteemed in the treatment of rheumatism (Drury).

 

Vern. : — Kungku (N -W. P.); Newar, kashri (Nepali); Chopra ; mer mahan (Simla). Skiosh (Bassahir) ; Bhambeli, Roini (Jauns.)

Habitat :— Western temperate Himalaya, alt. 6-1,000ft. From Sutlej to Nepal ; Simla.

A tree 16-20ft. Branches cylindric. Leaves 1½-3in. by ⅔-1in., thick, coriaceous, lucid, rugose aud dark green above,, very pale beneath, ovate-lanceolate, sharply serrate. Peduncles compressed. Flowers usually pentamerous. Cymes fascicled ; petals abruptly clawed, nearly orbicular, coarsely crenulate, ⅓in., yellowish, with purple veins. Fruit ½in. across, nearly round, 4-5-angled. The flowers of this species are sometimes tetramerous (Lawson).

Uses : — It is considered by the Natives to be useful in disesaes of the eye (O'Shaughnessy).

