96 EUPHORBIACE&. [PHYLLANTHUS. 



DISTRIB. : Throughout tropical India from Sind, Bengal and Sikkim 

 to S. India and Ceylon ; also in Burma, the Andaman Islands, Malay 

 Archipelago, China and Trop. Africa. The leaves bark and juice are 

 used medicinally. Manson states that the charcoal prepared from 

 this species is much used in Burma for lighting hookas. 



2. P. Emblica, Linn. Sp. PI. 982 ; Roxb. Fl. Ind. Hi, 671 ; 

 Brandis For. FL 454, t. 52 ; Ind. Trees 570 ; F.B.I, v, 289 ; Watt 

 E. D.; Comm. Prod. Ind. 886 ; Kanjilal For. Fl. (ed. 2), 346 ; Gamble 

 Man. 599 ; Collett Fl. Siml. 450 ; Prain Beng. PL 935 ; CooJce FL 

 Bomb, ii, 585. Emblica officinalis, Gwrtn.; Eoyle III. 327. Vern. 

 Ambla, dmla, aonhla, aola. (Emblrc myrobalan.) 



A moderate-sized deciduous tree with usually a crooked trunk ; bark 

 light-grey, or greenish, peeling off in small irregular patches, red 

 inside. Branches spreading, branchlets glabrous or finely pubescent, 

 often deciduous. Leaves small, subsessile, distichously arranged 

 along the branchlets and thus simulating the leaflets of a pinnate 

 leaf, f-J in. long, narrowly linear, obtuse, pale-green, glabrous or 

 puberulous beneath ; stipules minute, ovate, finely acute. Flowers 

 greenish -yellow, arranged in axillary fascicles on the leaf -bearing 

 branchlets or on the naked portion below the leaves ; bracts fimbriate, 

 MALE-flowers many, shortly pedicelled. Sepals 6, oblong, obtuse, 

 fo in. long. Disk none. Anthers 3, erect, on a short column, slits 

 vertical. FEM. -flowers few, subsessile. Sepals as in male. Disk 

 cupular, lacerate. Ovary 3-celled ; styles connate at the base, twice 

 2-fid. and with acute lobes. Fruit fleshy, globose, pale-yellow and 

 often tinged with pink when ripe, about } in. in diam., obscurely 

 6-lobed, breaking up when dry into three 2-seeded crustaceous cocci. 

 Seeds 6, trigonous. 



Abundant in forest tracts within the area of this flora, and often planted 

 near villages and as a roadside tree. Flowers March to May, and 

 the fruit ripens during the cold season. DISTRIB. : Throughout 

 tropical and subtropical India, chiefly in the dry deciduous forests, 

 ascending to 4,500 ft. on the Himalaya ; also in Ceylon, Burma, the 

 Malay Islands and China. The acid fruit is eaten as a pickle, and 

 the bark leaves and fruit are used in dyeing and tanning. The hard 

 red wood is valued for poles and, being durable under water, it is 

 much used for well-work. Excellent charcoal is prepared from it. 

 It is said that chips of the wood thrown into muddy water will clear 

 it effectually. For further particulars regarding the medicinal and 



\ other useful properties of this tree see Watt's Dictionary. 



