LABIATE. 85 



ty common 



odour 



semi 



hardly difrerezit from O. canum. The ordinary garden basil has 

 brown nutlets, but those of the pilose variety are black and 

 correspond v/ith the drug imported from Persia under the name 

 of Tukm-i-iihin. They are small, black, oblong nutlets, barely 

 Y^^ of an inch long, slightly arched on one side and flattened on 

 the other, at the base there is a small projection with a white 

 point. They have no odour, the taste is oily and slightly 

 pungent. When moistened they become coated with a 

 opaque mucilage. 



i 



Chemical composition. — The leaves distilled with water yield 

 about T56 per cent, of a yellowish- green oil, lighter than water 

 {Rayhaudy J., PkamK 20, 447), which, when kept, solidifies, 

 almost -wholly, as crystallised. basil-campJior ; the solid oil 

 crystallised from alcohol forms 4-sided prisms, having a faint 

 smell and taste ; crystallised from water, it forms white, trans- 

 parent, nearly tasteless tetrahedrons. It is neutral. Formula 

 Q20 j£ie Q\iQ {Bonastrey Dumas and Feligot in Gmelin^s Hand^ 

 hook, 14,359.) 



The price of the Persian seeds in Bombay is Pts. 4 per maund 

 of 37A lbs. 



OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM, Linn. 



Fig. — Jacq. Ic, PI, Rar. in., t. 495 ; Rheede, Uort. Mai. x.. 



Peninsula 



^.86. 



Hab. 



The leaves. 



■ ¥ 



r^ivjacM/^;-.— Ram-tulasi {Tlind. Mar. Beng.), Elumicham- 

 tolashi (Tarn.), Nimma-tulasi iTel.\ Kattu-tuttuva {Mal.)y 

 Kada-tulasi [Can.). 



History, Uses, &C. — This plant is the Yarvara, Barba- 

 ra, and A j valla of the Nighantas. The leaves have a remark- 



a,bly grateful lemon odour and taste, and are made into a chutney 



