580 POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Aegle. 
pretty erect. Bark ash-coloured. Branches few and irre- 
gular. Thorns, axillary, in pairs, single, or none, very 
sharp, and strong. Leaves ternate. Leaflets oblong, or 
broad lanceolate, attenuated to a bent point, crenulate, 
differing much in size, but the exterior one is always the 
largest. Panicles small, terminal, and axillary, flowers 
large and white, all hermaphrodite, at least, I have 
not found any other. Calyx four or five-toothed. Corol 
from four to five petalled. Filaments about forty, short. 
Anthers linear, erect. Berry large, sub-spherical, smooth, 
with a hard shell, from ten to fifteen-celled ; the cells con- 
tain, besides the seeds, alarge quantity of an exceeding 
tenacious, transparent gluten, which on drying becomes _ 
very hard, but continues transparent ; when fresh it may 
be drawn out into threads of one or two yards in length, 
and so fine as to be scarcely perceptible to the naked eye, 
before it breaks. Seeds from six to ten in each cell, oblong, 
a little compressed, woolly, attached to the inner angle Oke. 
their cell. 
_ This is the Bilva or Matura of the Asiat. Res. vol. 2. 
page 349, from whence the following is an extract. “ Uses. 
The fruit is nutritious, warm, cathartic ; in taste delicious, 
in fragrance exquisite ; its aperient, and detersive quality, 
and its efficacy in removing habitual costiveness, have 
been proved by constant experience. The mucus of the 
seed is for some purposes a very good cement.” Note “ This 
fruit is called Shreephula, because it sprang, say the Indi- 
an poets from the milk of Shree, the goddess of abundance, 
who bestowed it on mankind at the request of Jowart, 
whence he alone wears a chaplet of Bilva flowers: to 
him only the Hindoos offer them ; and when they see any 
of them fallen on the ground, they take them up with re- 
verence, and carry them to his temple.” 
The root, bark, leaves, and flowers are reckoned refriget- 
ants by the Malabar physicians, The eae Sey iad 
‘esteem most wholesome. 2 eee 
