Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/735

Rh celled, globose, fin. diam., " on bracteolate pedicels, ¼in. long," says Brandis. Seeds few, vertically imbircate, much compressed.

Uses: — The berries of this tree are known as "wild coffee." The roasted and powdered seeds were submitted to Brig-Gen. A. Kenney Herbert, a great authority on Indian cookery, and he reported as follows : — The percolated liquor had a remarkably pleasant taste, having a marked flavour of coffee. Indeed, the only difference I could detect was this : the liquor was not so dark in tint as coffee, being more golden-brown than dark brown, and the beverage brewed seemed not quite so strong as would have been produced by a similar quantity of coffee powder. There can be no doubt of the distinct coffee-like properties of this powder, and the absence of any twang or conflicting flavour to mar its pleasant taste (Pharmacographia Indica, Vol. II., p. 226).

Syn. : — Plectornia didynia, Kurz, Psydrax dicoccos, Gœru.

Vern. : — Garbhagojha (Santal) ; Yerkoli (Tam.) ; Yellal, porawa-mârâ, galkaranda (Kan.).

Habitat : — Sikkim Himâlaya, and distributed east to the Khâsia and Jayntea Mountains. Also met with in Chutia Nagpur and in the Western Peninsula, from the Concan southwards. .

A stout, evergreen, unarmed glabrous shrub, Leaves very variable, 2-6 by ½-4in., very coriaceous, polished above, usually obtusely caudate-acuminate, base acute obtuse or even cordate, nerve-axils eglandular ; petiole 1/6-⅓in. Cymes compressed, subsessile or on a short peduncle, ¼-lin., sometimes puberulous. Bracts short or 0. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx truncate or obscurely toothed. Corolla campanulate, tube 1/10-¼in. ; lobes 5, subacute. Style glabrous ; stigma subquadrate, notched or 2-fid. Fruit very variable, ¼-⅓in. globose or ellipsoid or obovoid compressed, subdidymous, putamen rugose. (J. D. Hooker).