Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/497

Rh often in the axils of the leaves ; pedicels very short, bracts setaceous, plumose. Calyx 1/5-¼in. deep, densely silky ; teeth setaceous, lower exceeding the tube. Corolla pale red, not much exceeding the calyx. Pod 1-1½ in. long, l/6-l/5.in. broad, densely, persistently white, velvety, much recurved, 6-8-seeded. Style glabrous, flattened, penicillate at the tip.

Use. — In Pudukota, the juice of the leaves is given in dropsy. (Pharm. Ind.)

Syn. — Æschynomene sesban, Linn., Roxb. 570.

Sans. — Jayanti.

Vern. — Jêt râsin (H.) ; Ravasin (Dec.) ; Jayanti or Byojainti (B.) ; Shevari (Mar.) ; J ait, jaintar (Pb.) ; Champai, carcum chembai (Tam,) ; Kedangu (Mal.) ; Suiminta (Tel.).

Habitat. — From the Himalayas throughout the plains of India.

A weedy, tree-like herb, 6-10ft. high, or 15-20ft. at times, short-lived soft- wooded. Bark brown. Wood white, extremely soft. Leaves paripinnate, numerous rachis 2½-4in., slightly pilose, without prickles, furrowed above, swollen at base, 3-6ft. long. Leaflets 9-20 pair, linear-oblong, very shortly stalked, ½-3in,, obtuse, apiculate. glabrous or nearly so, rather glaucous. Branches nearly glabrous, young parts silky. Flowers few, rather large, on very slender pedicels, in very lax, slender, pendulous axillary, stalked racemes. Calyx glabrous, broad, companulate ; segment very shallow, acute. Pod 8-9in., pendulous, very narrowly linear, dehiscent, sharply beaked, usually somewhat twisted, weak, slightly torulose. Seeds 30 or more, greenish grey, separated by distinct transverse bars. The flowers are pale yellow, the standard dotted on the back with purple, or orange and purple (Brandis).

Uses. — The author of the Makhzan says that the seeds reduce enlargement of the spleen (Dymock). The seeds are applied in the form of ointment to eruptions, for which the juice of the bark is also given internally. They are also said to be stimulant emmenagogues (Watt).