Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/544

464 Habitat : — Chitagong, Sylhet, and the Eastern and Western Peninsulas.

A large, scandent, prickly shrub. Branches slender, very flexuous. Prickles copious, dark-coloured, hooked. Pinnæ 2-5 pair. Leaflets distinctly petioluled, l½-2in. long, obtuse, coriaceous, glossy above. Racemes axillary and terminal, copiously panicled, with spreading branches; pedicels as long as the calyx, Calyx glabrous, ¼-⅛in. Petals scarcely exserted. Filaments densely woolly in the lower half. Pod 2in. long, broad oblong, coriaceous pointed at both ends, hard indehiscent, rather turgid, 1-seeded.

Use : — The roots of this plant are said to be diuretic ; they have been reported as useful in gravel and stone in the bladder, and the juice of the stem has been used externally and internally in eye diseases. For the same purpose are used also the roasted fruits, which have a bitter taste. The finely powdered leaves have also been administered to women immediately after delivery as a tonic to the uterus (Watt, ii. 10 ).

Sans. : — Pâtang.

Vern. : — Bokam, tairi, patang (H. B.) ; Teri (Santal) ; Bokmo (Ooriya) ; Patang-na-lakaru, patang-mu-lâkado, bakam (Guz.) ; Patang-ki-lakri (Duk.) ; Patang (Mar.); Patanga, vatlangi, vattéku, vartangi (Tam.) ; Bakanûr, bakapu. okâunkatta, pattanga-katta, bakâun-ckekka, bukkapu-chekka (Tel.) ; Patanga-chekke, sappanga (Kan.; ; Chappanum (Mal.).

Habitat : — The Eastern and Western Peninsulas.

A small sub-glabrous tree or struggling shrub. Wood hard. Sapwood white, heart-wood orange yellow, says Gamble. The heart-wood is red and takes a fine polish says Talbot. Prickles small and few. Leaf-rachis ½-1 ft. long, leaflets No. 30 moderately small oblong very oblique subsessile corinceous, Pinn No. 24. Panicles often as long as the leaves, the young branches, slightly perruginous-pubescent ; bructs large, lanceolate caducous ; pedicels ½-⅝ in. Calyx ⅜ in. Glabrous. Filaments densely worthy in the lower helf, slightly exserted. Ovary grey velvety. Pod 3-4 in, by 1½ in. sub-compressed, polished oblique oblong