Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/483

Rh Vern. :— Ban-san (B. and H.) ; Vuttei-khilloo-khilloopie (Tam.) ; Ghelegherinta (Tel.); Tirat (Bom.).

Habitat :— Tropical regions of the Himalayas and Ceylon.

A copiously-branched, erect annual, scarcely shrubby, 2-3ft. high. Branches at first puberulent, soon glabrescent, acutely-angled. Stipules foliaceous, ½-lunate, not decurrent. Leaves simple, thin, obscurely downy beneath, reaching 4-6in., ovate, usually acute ; the base deltoid, usually obtuse. Racemes moderately close, lateral and terminal, not panicled, 12-20- flowered, ½ft. or more long ; bracts linear, very minute ; pedicels equalling or shorter than calyx. Calyx ¼ in., obscurely downy, teeth lanceolate, twice the tube. Corolla twice the calyx, yellow, white and blue. Pod finely pubescent, 1-1½ in. long, 10-12-seeded.

Uses : — The juice of its leaves is used in medicine ; it is supposed to be efficacious in diminishing salivation. It is prescribed by the Tamil doctors, both internally and externally, in cases of scabies and impetigo (Ainslie).

Vern. : — San (H. and B.) ; Janab-ka-nar (Dec.) ; Jenappanar (Tam.); Jenapa-nara (Tel.) Ansâ suilâ (Assam); Sini, tâg-san (Sind.) ; Janapa, pulivanji (Mal.) Sanabu, shanabinâ, pundi (Kan.).

Habitat : — The plains of India. A stiff annual herb, several feet high, with slender, virgate, rigid, thinly silky, terete, multisulcate branches. Stipules or minute, subulate. Leaves simple, rather distant, linear or oblong, rather obtuse, firm, usually l½-3in., shining on both sides, with thin, short, brown, silky hairs. Bast fibre very valuable for cordage, known in commerce as Sunn. Racemes lateral and terminal, not panicled, loosely 12-20-flowered, reaching a foot long ; bracts very minute, linear. Calyx ½-¾in. long, densely clothed, with ferruginous, velvety hairs : teeth linear- lanceolate, very deep. Corolla bright yellow, glabrous, slightly exserted. Pod 1-1¼ in. long, clothed with short-spreading presistent, silky hairs ; 10-15-seeded.

Use : — The seeds are used to purify the blood.