ZEODARIA. 87 



Dymock states the market value of the root in Bombay to be 20 

 to 30 Es. per kandy of 7 cwt. 



The drug known in the Hindi and Bombay dialects as Nar- 

 Kachoora, above referred to by Dymock as not appearing to be 

 known in Europe, is stated by him to be the other of the two 

 zurambads of Arabic and Persian writers on Materia Medica, and 

 although a well-known drug in India, and found in all the shops, is 

 not noticed by recent writers on Indian products. Meer 

 Muhammad Husain states that the plant blossoms from the centre 

 of the leaves like turmeric, which it also resembles in foliage. If 

 this should be the " Tannon-giring seu giri " of Ptumphius,* it is 

 the Curcuma viridiflora of Eoxburgh, and described by him in the 

 following terms.f The root consists, like that of the other species, 

 of oblong bulbs, and palmate pendulous tuliers, which are inwardly 

 of a deep yellow colour, aromatic and bitter (employed by the 

 Malays of Sumatra to dye with). Leaves, broad-lanceolar, smooth, 

 and from one to three feet long ; the petioles and sheaths thereof, 

 about as long. The spike is central and large ; the flowers small 

 and very pale yellow. The wdiole plant, even the spike and coma, 

 are uniformly green.;|: It is a native of Sumatra and other eastern 

 islands. Plants were sent from Bencoolen to the Botanic Garden, 

 Calcutta, where they grow luxuriantly, flow^ering in July and 

 August. 



Dymock describes this drug, as found in the Bombay market, 

 as consisting of small globular, central tubers, from which spring 

 numerous lateral rhizomes about the size of the little finger. It is 

 of a dark grey colour externally and marked with circular rings ; 

 internally it is very hard and horny, of a greyish orange when cut 

 in thin slices ; odour camphoraceous, taste bitter and camphor- 

 aceous. Examined mimvscojncally, the minute structure of the 

 rhizome hardly differs from that of zedoary. The starch contained 

 in the parenchyme cells has been altered by heat and appears as a 

 finely granular mass nearly filling the cell. The resin cells are 

 about as numerous as in the zedoary, but the contents are of a dull 

 orange colour. The vascular system consists of scalariform and 



* Rumph. Amb., v. 169. 



t Flor. Ind. Serampore Ed. i., p. 34. 



Z In C. montana the coma of the spike is rose-cIoureJ, and in C. petiolata it 

 is lilac-coloured. 



