Jatropha. monofxia monadelphia. 687 



Bftig. Baghbarinda. 



Teliuij. Napalam. 



This is one of the most common small trees or buslies on 

 the coast of Coromandel, and in flower and fruit all the 

 year. 



Trunk irregular, from being constantly kept low for 

 hedges. Wood soft and spongy. Bark smootli, light ash- 

 coloured. Leaves scattered, petioled, broad-cordate, five- 

 angled, smooth, about six inches each way. Petioles round, 

 smooth,from four to six inches long-. Stipules none. Panicles 

 terminal, or from the exterior axills, cymose, bearing many 

 small, yellow flowers. The male flowers at the extremities of 

 the ramifications, on short, articidated pedicels, and the fe- 

 male ones in their divisions, with their pedicels not articu- 

 lated. Bractes a small one below each sub-division of the 

 panicle, and generally one pressing on the calyx. Male 

 calyx five-leaved. Corol five-petalled, campanulate, some- 

 what hair}'. Nectary of five glandular bodies, round the 

 base of the filaments. Filaments six, the central one very 

 thick, columnar; the five exterior ones filiform, towards the 

 base adhering to the central one, all erect, and a little longer 

 than the calyx. Anthers ten, sagittate, equal ; five sup- 

 ported by the large central filament, and one by each of the 

 others. Female calyx, corol and nectary as in the male. 

 Germ oblong, smooth. Styles three, short. Stigma bifid, 

 somewhat hairy. Pericarpium and seed as in the genus. 



The wood of this tree, or rather bush, is too soft and 

 spongy to be of any use, it will not even burn freely. 



The leaves warmed, and rubbed with castor oil are by 

 the natives applied to inflammations where suppuration is 

 wished for. An oil is expressed from the seed, which is only 

 used to burn in lamps, by the poorer classes of the natives. 

 The seeds taken inwardly act with great violence both up- 

 wards and downwards, and are therefore almost exploded 

 from the Hindoo Materia Medica. They are seldom or ne- 

 ver administered by our Medical Gentlemen. 



