9 STRYGHNOS NUX VOMIGA. 
Leaves opposite, short petioled, round-oval, shining, smooth on both 
sides, entire, three-five-nerved, differing in size, from one and 
"a half to four inches long, and from one to three broad. 
Stipules none. 
Flowers small, greenish white, collected on small terminal umbells. 
Calyx lasting. 
Corol as in the genus. 
Filaments scarce any, or exceeding short, inserted into the divisions 
of the corol. 
Anthers half within the tube, and half out. 
Style length of the tube of the corol. 
Berry round, smooth, size of a pretty large apple, covered with a 
smooth somewhat hard shell, of a rich beautiful orange colour 
when ripe, filled with a soft jelly-like pulp. 
Seeds from two to five, immersed in the pulp of the berry. 
A middling sized tree, is common in almost every part of the 
coast. Flowers during the cold season. The wood of this tree is 
hard and durable, and is used for many purposes by the natives. 
It is exceeding bitter, particularly that of the root, which is used to 
cure intermitting fevers, and the bites of venomous snakes, when 
that of Naga-musadie cannot be had. The seeds are employed in 
the distillation of country spirits, to render them more intoxicating. 
The pulp of the fruit seems perfectly innocent, as it is eat greedily 
by many sorts of birds. 
There is a tree, but exceeding rare on this coast, which the Te- 
lingas call Naga Musadie (Naga, or Tansoo Paum in the Telinga 
language means the Cobra de Capella or Coluber Naja of Linnzus, 
tansoo means dancing, and paum snake, this sort being famous for 
erecting its head, and moving it from side to side at the sound of 
music) z. ¢. Cobra de Capella Musadie. I have only once met with 
it, and then it was pointed out to me by a Telinga physician. The 
tree had been cut down and carried away some time before, most 
of the roots were also dug up and carried away; from the only 
remaining one that I could find, some shoots had sprung up. The 
leaves upon these were opposite, short petioled, obtuse, lanced, 
three-nerved, about two or two and a half inches long, by three- 
quarters broad; the petioles were very short, and connected at their 
insertions by a membrane, as in the natural order of Rubiacee. I 
took up this root with the greatest care, cut off the upper part from 
whence the shoots grew, and planted it in my garden; but it soon 
perished. From the above circumstances I am inclined to think 
there is a species different from the Nux vomica tree, which yields 
the real Lignum Colubrinum. The wood of the root of this sort is 
esteemed by the Telinga physicians an infallible remedy for the 
bite of the naga, as well as for that of every other venomous snake: 
it is applied externally, and at the same time given internally ; it is 
also given in substance for the cure of intermitting fevers. 
In the plate, the dissected flower is magnified; the fruit of its 
natural size. 
5. STRYCHNOS POTATORUM. 
Linn. Suppl. 148. 
Induga of the Telingas. 
Tettan-Kottah of the Tamuls. 
Clearing-nut of the English. 
The description of this tree in the Supplementum Plantarum is 
so perfect, as to leave me little to add; the only observations I have 
to make are, that the leaves cannot be said to be five-nerved. 
STRYCHNOS POTATORUM. 10 
Stipules entire, connecting. 
Panicles from the extremities of the last year’s shoots, round the base 
of this year’s, bearing a few small, erect, fragrant, greenish- 
yellow flowers. Filaments rather longer than in Nux vomica. 
Berry shining, black when ripe. 
This species grows to be a larger tree than the Nux vomica tree, 
it is much scarcer, being only found among mountains, and woods 
of great extent. It flowers during the hot season. The wood, like 
that of the former, is hard and durable, and used for various econo- 
mical purposes. The pulp of the fruit when ripe is eat by the 
natives; to me the taste is rather disagreeable. 
The ripe seeds are dried and sold in every market, to clear muddy 
water. The natives never drink clear well-water if they can get 
pond or river water, which is always more or less impure according 
to circumstances. One of the seeds, or nuts, as they are generally 
called, is rubbed very hard for a minute or two round the inside of — 
the vessel containing the water, which is generally an unglazed 
earthen one, and the water left to settle: in a very short time the 
impurities fall to the bottom, leaving the water clear, and, so far as 
I have been able to learn, perfectly wholesome. These nuts are 
constantly carried about by the more provident part of our officers 
and soldiers, in time of war, to enable them to purify their water ; 
they are easier to be had than alum, and are probably less hurtful 
to the constitution. 
In the plate, the dissected flower is magnified; the fruit of its 
natural size. 
6. ‘TECTONA GRANDIS. 
Linn, Suppl. 151. 
Theka. Rheed. mal. 4. p.57. tab. 27. 
Tatus. Rumph. amb. 3. p. 34. tab. 18. 
Teke of the Telingas. 
Trunk erect, growing to animmense size. Bark ash-coloured. 
Branches cross-armed, numerous, spreading: young shoots four- 
sided, sides channelled. 
Leaves opposite, petioled, spreading, egged, a little scolloped, above 
scabrous, below covered with white soft down ; they are larger 
at a distance from the flowers, and on young trees from twelve 
to twenty-four inches long, and from eight to sixteen broad. 
Petiole short, thick, laterally compressed. 
Panicle terminal, very large, cross-armed, small: divisions dicho- 
tomous, with a sessile fertile flower in each cleft; the whole 
covered with a hoary-coloured farinaceous substance. 
Peduncle common, quadrangular, sides deeply channelled, angles 
obtuse. 
Bracts opposite, lanced, two at each subdivision. 
Flowers small, white, very numerous, fragrant. 
Calyx and Corol as described in the Supplementum Plantarum, 
only oftener six than five-cleft. 
Nectary very small, often wanting. 
Stamens oftener six than five. 
Stigma two-cleft: divisions obtuse, spreading. 
Drupe within the enlarged inflated dry calyx, obtusely four-sided, 
woolly, spongy, dry. 
Nut exceeding hard, four-celled. 
This most useful tree is a native of various parts of India, viz. of 
the mountainous part of the Malabar and Coromandel coasts, of the 
