Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/662

582 582 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS.

Vern. : — Parvar ; Palval (H).

Habitat : — Dekkan Peninsula. Western India, Quilon, and Coorg, Tropical region, Ceylon.

A large perennial, herbaceous climber. Stems somewhat woody below, flexible, thickened at nodes, much-branched. Branches slender, striate, glabrous, tendrils bifid. Leaves 2½-3½in., ovate-lanceolate, cordate or rarely lobed at base, very acute, mucronate, distantly denticulate, glabrous, dark-green, paler beneath, with prominent reticulate venation. Petiole ½-1in. Flowers white ; male flowers on short pedicels, 4-1 2in. pedunculate corymbose racemes ; bract small, caducous. Calyx-tube ¾-1¼in., very narrow, influted above ; segments minute, setaceous. Petals oblong, acuminate, with fimbriae much branched and very long at the end of petals, but shorter on the sides, doubled inwards in the bud. Female flowers shortly stalked, solitary. Calyx-tube nearly 2in., very much produced above ovary ; segments longer than in male flower. Fruit 1½in., ovoid, shortly beaked, smooth, scarlet, pericarp thin; seeds few, with very long stalks, ovoid, compressed, thickened at margins, each enclosed in an envelope of scarlet pulp (Trimen).

Use : — Medicinal properties similar to T. dioica, Roxb.

528. T. cucumerina, Linn, h.f.b.i., ii. 609 ; Roxb. 694.

Habtitat : — Throughout India.

Sans. : — Patol.

Vern. : — Jangli-chichonda (H.) ; Ban-chichinga, ban-patol (B.); Jangli-padavala, Kadupadavala, pudoli, Ran-parval (Bomb.); Plpoodel, Poodel, Kat-tup-pepudal, kadu-parval (Tam,) ; Adavi-potla, Chaynd-potla (Tel.) ; Kaippam-patolam, Podavalam, Pactavalam (Mal.).

Stem twining, more or less pubescent. Leaves cordate, subreniform, 2-4 in. diam., pubescent or puberulous on both surfaces, usually 5 lobed about half way down, lobes obtuse or if acute not acuminate; petiole ¾in. ; tendiils 2-fid. Male peduncles in pairs, the earlier 1-flowered, the later raccemed ;