408 Lieut.-Col. Madden on some Plants 



fallen under my observation. Eriophorum {Trichojjhorum) co- 

 mosuruj Wall., cannabinum, Royle, called Babar and Baib, and 

 Saccharum {Erianthus) Munja, also yield excellent material for 

 cordage (the latter requiring the preliminary process of being 

 pounded) ; but we are indebted to Dr. Hamilton for having in- 

 dicated the importance of Spodiopogon laniger as supplying one 

 of the textile articles of Indian produce. 



Kshir Kangkri, or Titi Piralii ; a Lilium or Pancratium (p. 86). 



No. 855. Panci^atium sylvesire. Titi Piralu montanorum, 

 Hindice. Habitat in sylvis Nepalse inferioris. (Marked in the 

 margin Allium cumaria.) From Chatera, April 1810. There 

 is no specimen in the Herbarium, but WalHch beheved it to be 

 his No. 8974, P. verecundum. Dr. Hooker met " a very sweet- 

 scented Crinum " in the Sikkim Tarai, perhaps identical with this. 



Dr. Royle (lUustr. p. 374) has a Crinum (C. Himalense) 

 from Mansar, in the interior of the Himalaya; and the late Dr. 

 M'Gregor assured me that he had found one wild in the valleys 

 near Sabathu. 



Dr. Hamilton, however, states that the true Titipiralu (which 

 signifies the bitter bulb or Colocasia) consisted of the dried 

 scales of a tuberous root, having every appearance of being a 

 species of Lilium. Of this genus, as well as of Fritillaria, many 

 species inhabit Nepal, and among them L.japonicum, sometimes 

 called L. JVallichianum, known in Kumaon as Findora, a corrup- 

 tion of Pindalu. " The bulb-scales of Lilium japonicum dried 

 are said to be employed in China, like salep, in pectoral com- 

 plaints." (Royle, Illustr. 388. Figured, Wight's Icones, t. 2035.) 



According to some of his informants, the Kshir Kangkri is 

 one of the Cucurbifacea ; this is borne out by the signification 

 'juice of the cucumber/ perhaps C. Hardwickii, which is called 

 Air-alu in Kumaon, and Pahari Indrayan, Hill Colocynth, in 

 Garhwal, from its bitterness. Royle, t. 47. f. 3. 



Amomum : Desi Elachi, large Nepal Cardamom, with mem- 

 branous angles (pp. 74, 75). 



No. 13. Amomum ? aromaticum, Hort. Beng. 1 ; Roxb. Fl. 

 Ind. i. 44. Alaichi montanorum in Nepala. Colitur inter 

 raontes Nepalae. (To this is added at a subsequent date), — To 

 this probably belonged the specimen received from Surat, which 

 Linnseus considered as the true Cardamomum, (Linn. Trans, x. 

 252.) 



There is no specimen in the Herbarium. In Dr. Christison's 

 valuable collection of Materia Medica, this species is named 

 "Java Cardamom, Pereira, ed. iii. p. 1135. From Amomum 

 maximum, Roxb. Java and Bengal.'^ I observed it exposed for 

 sale in considerable quantities at Barmdee, a mart on the western 

 frontier of Nepal, where it was said to come from Doti, a pro- 



