SOUCHET. 319 



Hills. The dried and powdered roots are used as a perfume by 

 Indian ladies for their hair and clothes. An essential oil is 

 extracted from the roots and used for the same purposes. The 

 root is known in Jamaica under the name of " Adrew." 



The ovoid or nearly round tubers are developed upon a thin 

 underground stem : externally they are of a dark brownish rust 

 colour (or nearly black when dried, according to Dymock), and give 

 off numerous fine rootlets ; inwardly they are firm, tender, white, 

 and very fragrant. The aroma being somewhat similar to that of 

 Acorns calamus. 



Dr. Dymock found,* on microscopical examination of the tuber, 

 that " the outermost layer of the cortical portion is composed 

 of large bundles of reddish brown stony cells separated from 

 one another by interspaces ; within it are from 6 to 8 rows of very 

 thick-walled empty cells ; next a tissue of thick cells, most of them 

 full of large starch granules, but some containing essential oil, and 

 probably resinous matter. The central portion of the root is 

 separated from tho cortical by a single row of small yellow stone 

 cells ; it is composed of thick-walled cells, full of starch like those 

 in the cortical portion, but differs from it inasmuch as many of the 

 cells contain red colouring matter. Large vascular bundles abound 

 in the root; some of them are surrounded by a layer of stony cells." 

 In making this analysis. Dr. Dymock does not state whether the 

 tubers lie examined were those of C. rotundus, Lin., or of C.pertenuis 

 Hoxb., Syn. C. Scariosus, Brown, for (although he (piotes tlie 

 vernacular names, which are dissimilar) he states his belief that 

 " these two plants are considered by botanists to be only varieties 

 of the same species." 



Cyperus scariosus. R. Brown, Prodr, p. 216., Syn. C. 

 jpertenuis, Roxb., FL Ind., Serampore Ed., p. 202.f The vernacular 

 name in Hindee, Bombay, and Bengalee is Nagur-Mutha ; in 

 Arabic, Soade-Kufi ; in Tamil, Koriak-Kishangu ; in Telinga, 

 Tunga-gaddala-veru, Kolatunga-muste ; in Sanskrit, Nagar 

 Moostaka. The roots of this species are somewhat tuberous, with 



* Pharm. Journ. [3], xi , p. 169. 



* Nees in Wight Contrib. , p. 83; Kunth Enum., ii., p. 99. ]\Ied. Top. 

 Ajniir, 147 ; Dymock, Mat. Med. W. Ind., 2nd £d., p. 815. Irvine, Mat. 

 Metl. Patna., p. 75 ; Bird wood Bomb. Prod., p. 94 ; Hull Die. Econom. prod. 

 Ind., 687 ; Journ. Linn. Soc., xxi., p. 159. 



