Asclepias. PENTANDRIA DIGNYIA. 53 
Battang-callooce, or poolas (Urtica tenacissima, R.) are 
by far the strongest fibres which I have met with in the 
vegetable kingdom, far exceeding those of the leaves of, 
my Sanseviera Zeylanica. A line made of common hemp, 
for a standard, broke with 158 pounds when dry, and 190 
when wet; the average of several trials. A similar line 
of this substance broke with 248 when dry, and 343 when . 
-wet, while one of Battang-callooee broke with 240 when 
dry, and 278 when wet. 
27. <A. tingens. Buch. 
Leaves cordate. Racemes spiral, sub-axillary. Fructifi- 
cations cochleari-cylindric, Stigma oval, crowning the 
tube of the corol. 
A large, twining, shrubby plant, brought from Pegue to 
the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, by Dr. Buchanan. Flow- 
ering time the rainy season ; seed ripe the May follow- 
ing. 
Stem twining, woody, wath numerous, twining, smooth 
branches, extending far over whatever supporters they 
meet with. Bark pretty smooth, when young brownish ; 
when old,ash-coloured, Leqves opposite, petioled, cordate, 
entire, pointed, smooth on both sides, from three to six 
inches long, and from two to four broad. Petioles about an 
inchlong, channelled, smooth. Umbeils sub-axillary, short- 
peduncled, compound. When they begin to blossom, the | 
inflorescence is a perfect umbel, but becomes a long, shin- 
ing, spiral raceme. Pedicels rather longer than the pedun- 
cles, one-flowered, smooth, diverging in all directions. 
Flowers numerous, pale yellow or cream colour when 
they first expand, but grow gradually darker. Calyx to. 
the base five-cleft. Corol ; tube as long as the fructifica-. 
tion ; on the inside run five double ridges, which are ci- | 
liated with short brown hairs. Border expanding ; divi- : 
_ sions obliquely oval. Nectary as in the genus, with the | 
cordate divisions of its mouth covering the sti find =, 
2 
