452 Lieut.- Col. Madden on some Plants 



reaching Calcutta. The name Madar* applies to both : the 

 term Ak, also often applied, is from Sans. Arka, * the sun/ to 

 which the llowers always turn ; hence, where the two occui", 

 C. g'ujnnti'ti is called liarii akand ; C. procera, Chhota akand ; 

 great and small Calotro|)is. 



Griffith (Itinerary Notes, p. 207) has nearly the same distri- 

 bution as above : " Cnlotropis Hamiltonii ; very common through- 

 out the sandy plains of India, on the N. side of the Ilajmahal 

 hills, to the complete exclusion of C. (jujantea. In apj)earance 

 there is scarcely any difference, and, as far as foliage goes, per- 

 haps none ; the flowers are smaller, and invariably the leaflets 

 much smaller and bilobcd at the apex." Dr. Hamilton (Linn. 

 Trans, xiv. 246-2 IS) explains the differences excellently. Dr. 

 Hooker (Xotes of a Tour in the Plains of India, P. ii. p. 78) 

 notices nearly the same distribution as Griffith: "The species 

 look very different, but when gathered, there is extreme diffi- 

 culty in recognizing them." He adds, that "there is considerable 

 discrepancy of opinion as to their comparative efficacy, the votes 

 being in favour of C giymitea." 



Catalogue, No. 781. Sivertia Chirata. Bara Chirata. 



No. 782. Gentiana Chcraijti. Chhota Chirata. 



Dr. Hamilton informs us (p. 85) that of these two species the 

 smaller (782) is the one most in request. It is the Agathotes 

 Cherayta of D. Don (Linn. Trans, xvii. 522) ; Gentiana flori- 

 hundn (Prod. 127) ; G. Chirata, Wall. (P. A. R. iii. 34. t. 252, 

 where the flowers are of far too intense a yellow). Dr. Hamilton 

 truly describes it as a perennial ; it has yelloiv roots, hence the 

 Arabic Kasb-al-zarirach, ' yellow stem or twig' (Royle, 278) ; it 

 brings twice the price of the other kinds : " sapore intense 

 amaro," Wall., who also notes its "radix pcrennis." It flou- 

 rishes in woods and shady places, with Plantago-like leaves, and 

 is the largest plant of the whole, reaching 4i feet high ; so that 

 the native appellation, given by Dr. Hamilton, does not apply. 



No. 781 is probably Ophelia angustifoUn, from which much 

 of the Chirayita of commerce is obtainedf; but several other 



* Maflarine, the active principle of C (jUjantea, " possesses the pro- 

 perty of coajrulating by heat, and becoming again fluid on exposure to 

 cold." 



t D. Don (Linn. Trans. /. c. 524) says it is "more bitter than the last," 

 the AyathoUfS. Wallich, on the contrary (PI. As. Rar. iii. 2), says that it 

 and paniculata " possess only a slight degree of bitter taste." Don is here 

 most correct, according to my experience. 



The large and liandsome .Swertias of the Alpine Himalaya do not appear 

 to be imported to the plains. 



Chirapta derives its name from the Kiratas, a people of Eastern Nepal, 

 the Cirrhadcs of Arrian : hence the Sanscrit Kirata-tikta ; but the moun- 

 taineers call it simply Kanda Tita, 'bitter stem.' 



