Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/653

Rh

Syn. :-C. elliptica, Willd.

Vern. : — Chilla, chilara, bairi, bhari (H.) ; Maun (Manbhum) ; Roré (Kol.) ; Chorcho (Santa! .) ; Munkuru-kuri (Mal.) : ; Girari (Uriya) ; Thundri (Gond.) ; Khesa (Kurku.) ; Men, wasa, gamgudu (Tel.) ; Lainja, massei, karei (Mar.).

Habitat : — Common throughout India.

A small deciduous tree, attaining 25ft. Bark ⅓in. thick, brittle, exfoliating in more or less square flakes. Wood yellowish-white, moderately hard, rough, close-grained (Gamble). Branches spreading, all parts bitter. Branchlets tomentose or nearly glabrous. Stipules sma II, soon falling off. Leave obscurely serrate, elliptic-oblong, narrowed towards the apex or lanceolate, sometimes entire, not acuminate, base acute or rounded, 3-7 by 1½-3in., tomentose beneath ; midrib and petiole, when full grown, hairy ; petiole i-fin. long, translucent glands round or broad, elliptic. Flowers small, tomentose, ½in. long, densely clustered on scanty axillary tubercles, bisexual, regular, green-yellow, shortly stalked. Calyx free, persistent, tomentose, 5-parted, lobes orbicular, concave. Petals 0. Stamens 8, alternating with short ciliate staminodes ; " Stamens 7-10 (sometimes 12, Benth.)," says C. B. Clarke; filaments free, anthers 2-celled. Ovary superior, 1-celled ; style very short, stigma capitate; ovules numerous. Capsule more or less succulent, ovoid, ¾in. long, 6-ribbed, opening by valves ; seeds about 8 in each, valve ovoid, enveloped in a fleshy red aril.

Use:— The fruit is used to poison fish (Stewart). The bark is bitter and used as an adulterant for Mallotus Phillip-pinensis (kamela) powder. The bark is applied externally in dropsy (Rev. Campbell, Santal.).

The leaves are used in medicated baths, and the pulp of the fruit is a very useful diuretic (Lindley).