462 AMARYLLIDF^. 



AMARYLLIDE^. 



CURCULIGO ORCHIOIDE, Gdrtn. 



b A - » ' m t 



Fig.^Wight Ic, if. 2043; Bo^b. Cor. PI. u,t. 13; Bot 

 Mag., t. 1076 ; Rheede, Hort. Mai xii.^ t. 59. 



Hab» — Hotter regions of India and Ceylon. The root. 

 Vernacular. — MusaK, Musali-kand [Hind. ^ Mar. ^ G^^s.),Nella- 



> • T « i 



tadi ( Tel. ), N ela-pana-kelangu ( MaL ), Nila-panai-kizhangu 

 {Tam.\ Tala-muli {Beng.)^ Nela-tali-gadde {Can.)y Hfn-bin-tal 

 ( CingJu ) . 



History, Uses, &C. — Both Hindu and Mahometan 



medical writers speak of a white and black Musali, which, from 

 their descriptions^ appear to have been different varieties of the 

 same plant. In the Raja Nirghanta it is stated — ^^rfi ^ f^^\ 



iffTfrr %^ ^TmsT^ ^ W ^\ Jj W^r ^WU =^ ^m^^\ ; the plant is 

 described as Hemapushpi, "having golden flowers/' and is 

 considered to be alterative, tonic^ restorative^ and useful in piles, 

 debility and impotence. It enters into the composition of several 

 medicines intended to act as aphrodisiacs and restoratives. At 



w 



the present time we meet with a white and black Mdsali in the 

 bazars, but derived from two entirely different plants, viz,, the 

 white from an Asparagus, and the black from a Curouligo. We 

 have been favoured with living specimens of the latter plant 

 collected by Mr. B. B. Nen^ of Poena at Sitabaldi, and find 

 that when cut and dried it exactly agrees with the bazar article 

 which we have received from most parts of India. From 

 Madras we have received a very small Curciiligo root, from 

 C hrevifoUa, not more than an inch in length, whereas the root 



J* 



of the plant in general use is not less than 6 inches in length, 

 and from ^ to | inch in diameter. Dutt states that Satavari, 

 the root of Asparagus recemosus, is sometimes sold by the 

 druggists as white Musali ; in Bombay the white Mdsali of the 

 bazar is the root of Asparagus adscendetis. 



Native medical works give the following instructions for the 

 collection of MusaU:— Two-year old plants are to be selected, 



