22G NATURAL HISTORY. 



condyles vertically elongated and convex, wider at their lower third ; teeth 

 email, flattened or compressed, with a sharp sub-crescentic crown, faintly 

 nicked, and with the middle of their outer and inner sides slightly swelled ; 

 they are rather obliquely arranged in line, about one-fifth of each succeed- 

 ing hinder one overlapping its fellow, but not in contact. 



BOTANICAL NOTES. 



NOTE ON THE GLORIOSA SUPERB A (N. 0. LIU ACE A), 



" SUPERB LILY." 

 By Mr. Frank Rose, P. W. D. 



Several writers have pronounced the root of this handsome climbing plant 

 a violent poison, and next to the Wild Aconite (Aconitum ferox). I much 

 doubt the assertion, as I have seen Brinjaris using it for medicinal purpose?, 

 and it doubtless has active properties. Native Surgeon Mohideen Sheriff 

 (Madras-) has already removed the doubts expressed by certain of the 

 Medical Faculty by giving it to his patients, and has himself taken "12-grain 

 doses three times a day." In case an experiment may be wished to be tried, 

 I send you by this day's post the tuberous root of this shrub obtained from 

 my garden. 



Florists should not lose this opportunity of collecting the roots for next 

 rains. This ornamental plant flowers early in Augus'. lasting only eleven 

 days : the petals open with a light green tint, and then gradually assume the 

 crimson and yellow on the sixth day, when it is then clad in its richest and 

 gayest colour, after which the whole flower becomes crimson and then fad*s. 



This perenial plant is easily identified. The root is bulbous ; stem, green 

 herbaceous ; leaves, lanceolate, ending with tondrils or cirrbiferous ; calyx, nil ; 

 and corolla, reflex, G-petalled ; habitat, fi dds and forest?. Willdenow is said to 

 have discovered this shrub in 1G90. The Indian synoniyms are Nag-dhan 

 or Nai-kabachnag derived from the Wild Aconite ; Olot-chandal, Bengali ; and 

 Kalaijpak-Jcirhangu, Tamil. In Ba If our & Botany (Ed. 1854) nothing is ? aid 

 about this plant. 



F. R. 



NOTE ON THE GLORIOSA SUPERB A. 

 By Surgeon K. R. Kirtikar. 



With reference Mr. Rose's remarks, I say at once state that I am not 

 personally able to bear testimony to the violently poisonous qualities of the 

 roct of Gloriosa superba. I have neither used it medicinally, nor have I seen 

 any cases of men poisoned by it. Dr. Nornoau Chevers however, in his work 

 on Indian Medical Jurisprudence, menth ns two fatal cases (pp. 284-285) 

 in Edition of 1870, and attributes to the root naicotico-ir.itan'i 



