MALVACEM. 915 
but splits readily. It yields hardly anything to water, but 
forms a deep purplish-red tincture with alcohol, which on 
evaporation leaves an astringent, brittle extract like kino. 
Chemical composition.— The heart-wood of Thespesia popul- 
nea contains a garnet-red resin which can easily be separated | 
by digesting the wood in diluted alkali and using hydrochloric 
acid to precipitate it from the filtered solution. The resin is 
insoluble in water, but perfectly soluble in alcohol, chloroform 
and the alkalies, and partly in ether and benzol. Its solution 
in spirit forms a dark greenish-brown colour with ferric 
chloride, and it is precipitated by lead salts. Water extracts 
scarcely anything from the wood. It leaves after complete 
ignition about 8 per cent. of mineral constituents. 
BOMBAX MALABARICUM, DC. 
Fig.—Wiyht Ill., t. 29; Bedd. Fl. Syl., t. 82. Red siik- 
_ cotton tree (Zng.), Bombax de Malabar (F’.). 
-Hab.—Tropical India. The gum and root. 
Vernacular.—Semul, Rakta-semul (Hind.), Rokto-semul 
(Beng.), Saur, Sauri (Mar.), Mul-ilava-maram (Tam., Mal.), 
 Mulluburaga-mara (Can.), “Mundla-buraga-chettu (Tel.), 
? 
Shemalo (Guz.). The gum, Mocha-ras, Supari-ka-phul (Hind., 
Bomb.), Mocha-ras (T'am., Tel., Can.). 
History, Uses, &e.—B. malabaricum, in Sanskrit 
S4lmali, and Mocha, is a large tree, covered with stout, hard 
conical prickles, on which account it bears the Sanskrit synonym 
of Kantakadruma. In the Mahabhidrata it is related that 
Pitamaha after having created the world, reposed under the 
tree Sdlmali, and in the code of Yajnavalkya it is mentioned © 
as one of the trees of the infernal regions (yamadruma), because 
it makes a great show of flowers, but produces no fruit: fit ; 
to eat. At the end of the cold season this tree is s. S ~ 
remarkable object, being entirely destitute of leaves, and — 
loaded with large, red, een flowers, which: are fol. 
