Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/94

844 5-nerved, 1½-5 acute, or ⅔-l½in., subobtnse. Flowers blue, 1¼in, diam., in terminal panicles. Calyx deeply 4-lobed ; lobes ovate, keeled, long-pointed. Corolla-tube inflated, much shorter than the 4 ovate acute lobes. Stamens 4, filaments short. Anthers narrowly oblong, ¼in. straight, opening by two terminal pores. Ovary 2-celled ; style long, stigma capitate, entire ; ovules numerous, capsule globose.

Use : — The plant is used as a tonic in fevers and as a stomachic bitter (Ph. Ind.)

Vern. : — Bará-charáyatah (H.)

Habitat : — Dekkan Peninsula, frequent from the Konkan and Orissa to Courtallam.

Erect, annual herbs. Stems much branched above, slender, glandular. Leaves on very short petioles, 1½-2in., oval, tapering on both ends, acute, 3-(or 5-) nerved. Flowers 4-merous, small, on long rigid pedicels, rather small, pale, violet-blue or white ; Calyx-segments ovate, very acute, wings wide, cordate or sub-cordate at base, strongly veined. Corolla ⅝in. diam., lobes 4, lanceolate, acute ; anthers 4, 1/10in., not tapering, capsule globose(Trimen). In the Flora of British India, (Vol. iv. p. 96), Mr. C. B. Clarke describes it thus : —

Stem quadrangular, leaves sessile, ovate-lanceolate, 5-nerved. Calyx-lobes ovate, suddenly caudate, keel winged, anthers ⅓-½in. curved. C. B. Clarke further remarks that E. bicolor is considered by Mr. Bentbam only a form of E. tetragon um Roxb. but differs from that and the larger E. Perrotteta in the unsy inmetric flowers, the buds distinctly curved at the tips and the anther-cells curved and tapering upwards. The flowers are larger than those of E. tetragonum, smaller than those of E. Perrotteta. The corolla-segments are (very generally) white on the lower half, full azure-blue in the upper.

Use : — The plant possesses tonic and stomachic properties, and may well be substituted for gentian (Ph. Ind.).

Syn. : — E. sulcatum, Roxb. 134.