LILIACEJE. 493 



Polianthes tub 



Keg,, t. m—Vcrn. Gi 



1817 ; Bot 



(Hind. 



nfgandha {Beng. ), is the Tuberose of the English, the Fnlla- 

 pijM of the Portuguese, and the Arnica noctnrna of Rumphius 

 (Amb.y v., t, 98) ; it is a common garden flower, considered by 

 the natives to be hot and dry, diuretic, and emetic. The bulbs 

 are used as a remedy for gonorrhoea. In the Concan they arc 

 rubbed with turmeric and butter and applied to remove ^^Tf 

 (Watiya), small red pimples which often trouble new-born 

 children. They are also rubbed into a paste with the Juice of 

 Burva grass {Cynodon dadylon) and applied to buboes. The 

 flower is much A^alued on account of its perfume, for which it 

 IS cultivated in France ; it sometimes emits phosphorescent 



ght in the mg 



SANSEVIERA ZEYLANICA, Willd. 



Fig.—Eoxb. Cor. Fl. ii., t. 184; Bot. Beg., t, IGO ; Mcedc, 

 Hort. Mai. xi., t. 42. Bowstring Hemp {Eng.). 



Hab. — Indian Peninsula. The leaves and root. 



Vernacular. — Mnrahri, Marul {Etnd.), Murba, Gorachakra 

 i^eng.)^ Marul-kalang {Tarn.), Ishama-koda-nar (Tel.), Ghan- 

 asphan, Morvel (ilfar.), Katu-kapel {Mai.), Heggurutike 

 (^«w.), Murvel (<3^«3.). 



History, Uses, &C.— Tliis plant is the Murva of Sans- 

 krit writers ; it is mentioned by Manu (ii., 42, 44) as the source of 

 the fibre from which the bowstrings and girdle {maurci) of the 

 Kshatriya or warrior caste of Hindus was made. In the 

 ^itaracharitra the young prince Lava is represented as wearing 



M 



synonyms 



penitent. In the Nighantas it bears numerous 

 as Devi ''goddess," Morata, Madhurasa, Madhusrava "having 

 a sweet Juice/' Snighda-parni "having glossy leaves," 

 JPnthak-parni "diverse-leafed," Pilu-parni, &c., and is described 

 as purgative, heavy, sweet, pungent, tonic, and cardiacal ; a 

 remedy for bile, li(';if, nf Lhmd o-onorrha-a. trhloHha Ui corruption 



