13 CEROPEGIA JUNCEA. 
This, like the former, has perennial roots, and an annual stem, 
is a native of similar places; flowers at the same time; and, like the 
former, every part of this plant is esculent; eat raw it abates thirst. 
11. PERIPLOCA ESCULENTA. 
Linn. Suppl. 168. 
Oudy-palla of the Telingas. 
Root filiform, fibrous. 
Stems and Branches numerous, twining, = smooth, running 
over bushes of considerable size. 
Leaves opposite, spreading, short-petioled, linear, tapering to a fine 
point, rounded at the base, entire, smooth, from four to six 
inches long, and about three-eighths of an inch broad. 
Raceme lateral, long, few-flowered. 
Flowers large, beautiful white, with a small tinge of the rose, and 
striated with purple veins, inodorous. 
Nectary and Stamens as in Asclepias and Pergulariac 
Follicles oblong, inflated. 
It is a twining perennial, grows in hedges and among bushes on 
the banks of water courses, pools, &c. casts its leaves during the 
dry season; is in flower and foliage during the rainy. On this 
coast I do not find that the natives ever eat it, nor apply it to any 
purpose whatever. Cattle eat it. 
deserving of a place in the flower garden. 
Its elegant flowers render it well 
12. SEMECARPUS ANACARDIUM. 
Linn, Suppl. 182. 
Nella- jiedy of the Telingas. 
Marking-nut of the English. 
Anacardium orientale of the Materia Medica. 
Trunk very large, straight, high, covered with grey scabrous bark, 
the bark of the younger parts smooth, light ash-colour ; its 
inner substance contains in crevices a quantity of a white, soft, 
almost insipid gum. 
Branches numerous, spreading. 
Leaves about the extremities of the branchlets, alternate, petioled, 
wedge-form, rounded at the apex, entire, firm, above pretty 
smooth, below whitish and scabrous, from nine to eighteen 
inches long, and from four to eight broad. 
Petiole one and a half or two inches long, half-round. 
Panicle terminal, very large, composed of many simple spikes, that 
of the male tree much slenderer, but as large or larger. 
Bracts many, small, falling. 
Flowers numerous, small, of a dirty greenish yellow colour. 
Hermaphrodite flowers as in the Supplementum Plantarum. 
Pericarpnone. Receptacle erect, fleshy, pear-shaped, smooth, when 
ripe yellow, about the size of the nut. 
Seed: a single nut, resting upon the receptacle, hearted, flattened 
on both sides, smooth, shining, black; the cover or the shell 
of the seed is composed of two laminz, the inner hard, the 
outer less so, and leathery ; between them are cells which con- 
tain the black corrosive resinous juice, which has long made 
SEMECARPUS ANACARDIUM. 14 
them famous ; this juice is of a pale milk colour, ull perfectly 
ripe, when it becomes black. : 
Male flowers on a separate tree, they are smaller than the herma- 
phrodite. 
Calyx and Corol, as in the hermaphrodite. 
Filaments five, the length of the petals. 
Anthers much larger than in the hermaphrodite. 
Pistil none; but in its place a semiglobular hairy glandulous body. 
A large tree, bearing male flowers on one, and hermaphrodite on 
another. It isa native of all the mountainous parts of India. Flower- 
ing time July and August. Seed ripe in January and February. 
The wood of this tree is reckoned of no use, not only on account 
of its softness, but also on account 6f its containing much acrid juice, 
which renders it dangerous to cut down and work upon. The fleshy 
receptacles on which the seed rests, are roasted in the ashes, and 
eat by the natives; their taste is exceedingly like that of roasted 
apples; before they are roasted, they taste adstringent and acrid, 
leaving a painful sensation on the tongue for some time. The ker- 
nels are rarely eaten. 
The green fruit well pounded into a pulp makes good bird-lime. 
The pure black acrid juice of the shell is employed by the natives 
externally to remove rheumatic pains, aches, and sprains ; a little is 
well rubbed over the part affected; but in tender constitutions it 
often produces inflammation and swelling, doing much more harm 
than good. Ithink where it has not these disagreeable effects, which 
is generally the case, it is an efficacious remedy. 
It is employed by the Telinga physicians in the cure of almost 
every sort of venereal complaint; it is prepared as follows: take 
of this black juice and of the expressed juice of garlic, each one 
ounce, expressed juice of fresh tamarind-tree leaves, coco-nut oil, 
and sugar, of each two ounces, mix and boil them for a few minutes; 
a table spoonful is given to the patient twice a day. I know nothing 
of the efficacy of this composition myself. : 
It is universally employed to mark all sorts of cotton cloth; the 
colour is improved and prevented from running, by a little mixture 
of quick-lime and water. This juice is not soluble in water, and only 
diffusible in spirits of wine, for it soon falls to the bottom, unless the 
menstruum be previously alkalized. The solution is then pretty 
complete, and of a deep black colour. It sinks in, but soon unites 
perfectly with expressed oils; alkaline lixivium acts upon it with 
no better success than plain water. 
In the plate the dissected flower is magnified; the fruit afi its na- 
tural size. 
13. CURCULIGO ORCHIOIDES. 
Garin. sem. 1. p.63. tab. 16. 
Nalla-tady of the Telingas. 
Root tuberous, with many fleshy vermicular fibres. 
Leaves numerous, all radical, petioled, sword-form, nerved, slender; 
when young there are a very few soft white hairs on them, 
from six to eighteen inches long, and half or three- qUAnGRs of 
an inch broad. 
Petiole channelled, below sheath-form, embracing those within. 
Raceme solitary, axillary, two-ranked, its apex just appearing above 
the earth. 
Peduncle compressed, clubbed, about an inch long. 
Bracts below remote, above nearer, spath-like, pointed, decreasing 
