102 COJSTOLTVLACFM. [Fobaka. 



vinces to Southern India and Cejlcn, extending to Burma, the Nicobar 

 Islands, the Malay Archipelago and Australia. The hark is used in 

 Chota Nagpur as a remedy for cholera. 



3. PORANA Burm. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. iv, 221. 



Large climbers. Leaves petioled, entire. Flowers "white blue cr 

 purple, often in large panicled cymes, bracts persistent. Sepals in 

 flower small and narrow, in fruit the three outer or all much enlarged, 

 membranous and nerved. Corolla eamyanulate or funnel-shaped; 

 limb plicate, subentire or loted. Stamens subincluded. Ovary 'I- oi- 

 l-celled, 4- or 2-ovuled ; style long cr short, entire or 2-fid., stigma 2- 

 lobed or with 2 capitate stigmas. Fruit ^m&\\, suhglobose, 1-seeded, 

 indehiscent or a 2-valved cajsule. /Seed glabrous, cotyledens 

 plicate. — Species about 10, in India, the Malay Archipelago and 

 North Australia. 



Flowers in long pendulous racemes, 3 of the 

 sepals enlarged in fruit, limb of corolla, 

 shortly lobed . . . . . . 1. P. paniculata. 



Flowers in dichotomous racemes, all the 

 sepals enlarged in fruit, limb of corolla 

 deeply lobed . . . . . . 2. P. racemosa. 



1 P paniculata, Boxb. Cor. PI. Hi, 31, t. 235 ; Fl. Ind. i, 466 ; Don 

 Prod. 99 ; Brandis For. Fl. 342 ; Ind. Trees 481 ; F. B. I. iv, 222; Watt 

 22. j). ; Kanjilal For. Fl. 251 ; Gamble Man. Ind. Tirnb. 507 ; Prain Beng. 

 pi. 724; CooTce Fl. Bomb, ii, 227.— Vern. Bel-l-amu, safed bel. (Bridal 

 Creeper.) 



A large climbing shrub, the branchlets underside of leaves and inflore- 

 scence clothed with soft grey tomentum. Leaves retioled, 2-4 in. long, 

 ovate-cordate, acuminate, entire, membrancus, hairy on both surfaces, 

 basal nerves 5-7. Flowers small, pure-white, very numerous, arranged 

 in large axillary and terminal drooping panicles. Sepals (in flower) 

 -V in. long, linear-oblong ; three of them much enlarged in fruit, mem- 

 branous and strongly reticulate. Corolla abcut £ in. icng, campanulate, 

 glabrous ; limb shortly 5-lobed. Style very short. Capsule % in. in 

 diam., membranous, brittle, hairy, 1-seeded. 



Dehra Dun and Siwalik Eange ; common eastwards along the Sub- 

 Himalayan tracts, also in Bundelkhand. Flowers October to January. 

 Distkib. Westward to the Punjab and Mount Abu and eastwards to 

 Bengal and Upper Burma, and on the Himalaya in Kumaon up to 4,000 

 ft. As a climber it forms when in flower a very beautiful object with its 

 dense masses of white blossom hanging in festoons from the branches. 

 The stems are much used in the Saharanpur district in making baskets 

 for rough work. 



