68 The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



superior, to those of Bombay (Burbidge). In the Konkan, during 

 the early part of the rains, the inchoate trees growing out of the 

 s'ones that have been thrown away, well sucked, by the sides of 

 the roads are as beautiful and interesting objects as one could wish 

 to see. 



The smell of the flowers is often quite overpowering at night, as 

 any one will find who drives along a well planted road like that 

 between Indore and Mhow. " There is a variety of the common 

 mango tree, or perhaps a distinct species, which bears fruit nearly 

 as large as a man's head ; the tree grows about Savanoor, and in 

 Canara" (Graham). I have heard of this at Dapoli, but never saw 

 it. It should be either H.'s M. fragrans or M. macrocarpa. 



'2. ANACARDIUM. 



A. occidentals. The cashew-nut tree. Leaves smooth ovate 

 or obovate ; flowers small, yellow streaked with red, in panicles 

 with numerous leafy bracts ; fruit red, very juicy, very much 

 larger than the kidney-shaped nut. Kdju, hijali baddm. 



A native of Brazil introduced by the Portuguese, and sometimes 

 called the Goa almond ; common on many parts of the coast, par- 

 ticularly in Salsette and the S. Konkan. " Its fruit, an apple with 

 a nut below," is one of the curiosities of the vegetable kingdom. 

 The apple, though tempting to the eye, is excruciating to the palate, 

 though Oliver calls it eatable. Miss Bird speaks of the immense 

 spread of its branches in the Malay Peninsula, but with us it is 

 al\ways a small tree. The shell of the nut contains a very acrid oil 

 (from which anacardic acid is made), the fumes of which (Kingsley 

 says) will blister the face if the cook bends over the fire. I never 

 heard of this difficulty in India. 



3. BUCHANIANA. 



B. latifolia. A good-sized tree with large leaves, broad 

 ovate or obovate, hairy, with short petioles, flowers in large 

 hairy panicles, drupe compressed ovoid. Pydl, chdroli, char. 



Found in all parts of the Presidency, but not particularly common. 

 The kernels are called chdronji, and are eatable. 



4. ODINA. 



0. wodier. Leaflets 3 or 4 pairs oblong ovate pointed, 

 panicles hairy or mealy terminal, flowers very small, tinged 

 with purple or red, fragrant, stamens filling the mouth of the 

 corolla ; drupe kidney-shaped, red when ripe. Shimti, mowa, 

 moini. 



Very common (D.) ; but I think it is widely distributed rather than 

 common. The leaves fall in the cold weather when the flowers 

 appear. " A handsome tree when in fall foliage, an eyesore when 

 leafless." Brandis. 



