FUNGL G29 



India as medicine and food. In 1860 Dn E. J. Waring fonvarded 

 to Mr. Hanbury some specimens of these tuberiform productions, 

 and they were examined by Mr. M, J. Berkeley and Mr. Currt^y. 

 These specimens had been dug out from the chalk-beds in the 

 mountains between Travancore and Tinneyelly, and the hill- 

 people were in the habit of bringing them into Trevandrvmi 

 for sale. They are much esteemed by native doctoi's for 

 various complaints, and they are regarded as diuretic. The 

 Tamil name signifies Black Pallagum^ Pallagum meaning a 

 medicinal substance. The fungus frequently appears on the 

 Nilgiris, and the Badagas, Karumbars, and other hill-tribes call 

 it '' God's bread " or " Little man's bread," and use it for food. 

 In 1889 the Peziza was very plentiful in the Government 

 Cinchona Plantations at ]N"aduvatam, and the specimens were 

 found over a wide area about one foot beneath the surface of the 

 grouud. Planters on other parts of the hills have noticed their 

 periodical occurrence in their estates, and the coolies always 



■ 



collect and cook them for their meals. 



Description. — These fungoid bodies are like small tuhers 

 having a black, finely-wrinkled surface, and the inside is white 

 and marked with veins, and a microscopic section shows the 

 dinsion of the tissue into arcolce similar to that exhibited by 

 typogseous fungi. In a fresE state they have a waxy 

 consistence, but when dry thoy are hard and horny. Some 

 fresh slices immersed in glycerine for several weeks showed no 

 crj^stalline or crystalloid formations, and starch was entirely 

 absent. 



Chemical composition.— The dried Peziza yielded 1 per cent, 

 of carbonated ash. Boiled with dilute hydrochloric acid a 

 solution was formed, reducing Fehling's test and inactive towards 

 polarised light. Boiled with soda a large quantity of pectinous 

 matter was dissolved. 



BOLETUS CROCATUS, BaUch. 



Hab, — India, on the Jack-tree {Artocar'pus integnfolia, 



Linn.). 



Vernacular. — Phausamba [Bazars), Phanas-alomb^ [Mar). 



