Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/528

448 Ghangra (Santal) ; Urohi-mahor-pat (Ass.); Chaunro (Sind); Caramunny-pyre (Tam.) ; Boberlu, alu-sundi, duntu-pesalu, bobra (Tel.) ; Tada-gunny, kursan-pyro, alasandi (Kan.).

Habitat : — Native, and universally cultivated in the tropical zone.

An annual sub-erect or twining plant, always glabrous or nearly so. Stipules ⅓-½in. long, attached and persistent ; leaflets membranous, 3-6in. long, acute, very variable in shape, broad or narrow-ovate, or ovate-rhomboidal, with the two sides below the middle prolonged into obtuse lobes. Peduncles often exceeding the leaves, 3-6 flowered ; pedicels very short. Calyx glabrous, under ½in. ; teeth lanceolate or deltoid-cuspidate. Corolla yellow or reddish, twice the Calyx. Keel not prolonged into a beak. Pod in some of the cultivated forms one or even 2ft. long, under ½in. broad, edible seeds 10-20.

Use : — Considered hot and dry, diuretic and difficult of digestion, and is used to strengthen the stomach (Baden Powell).

Sans. : — Aparâjitâ, asphota.

Vern. : — Kalizer, visnukranti, kava-thenthi (H.) ; Aparâjitâ (B.) ; Kâjali, gokaran (Bomb.) ; Kakkanam-kodi (Tam.) ; Dhanattar (Pb.) ; Garani (Guz.) ; Dintana, tella, mella, tella- dintana, nila-dintana (Tel.) ; Vishnu, kantisoppu, kirgunna, gokarna-mul (Kan.).

Habitat : — A common garden flower all over India.

A climber, with terete, slender downy stems. Stipules, linear, petioles ½-lin. Leaflets ovate or oblong-obtuse, subcoriaceous, l-2in. long. Bracteoles roundish, obtuse, ¼-½in. long. Calyx ½-¾in. ; teeth lanceolate, half as long as the tube. Corolla l½-2in. Standard lin. broad, bright blue or white with an orange centre. Pod 2-4in. long, flattish, the valves not keeled on the face ; 6-10 seeds.

Parts used: — The root, seeds, leaves and juice.

Use : — Sanskrit writers describe the root as laxative and diuretic, useful in ascites, fevers, &c. (Dutt).