ASCLEPIADACEAE 673 



Acacia Catechu and Dalbergia Sissoo in some parts of the sub -Himalayan 

 tract (see Fig. 122), Marsdenia Boylei, Wight, and M. tenacissima, W. and A., 

 which yield strong silky white fibres. The seeds of species of this order are 

 scattered by wind, as they are usually winged and crowned with a dense coma. 

 Genera 1. Cryptostegia, R.Br.; 2. Calotropis, R.Br. 



1. CRYPTOSTEGIA, R.Br. 



Ciyptostegia graudiflora, R. Br. 



A large climber, probably a native of Madagascar, often cultivated or 

 run wild in India. It yields a fairly good quality of caoutchouc, and for some 

 years past attempts have been made to cultivate it in the outer hills of the 

 Punjab : although it has been found to grow tolerably well it suffers from 

 excess both of heat and of cold, the young shoots dying off, though new shoots 

 are again sent out. It grows well in pure sand in Jaipur, Rajputana, with 

 a rainfall of about 20 in., and is recommended for planting shifting sands on 

 the plains : transplanting should be carried out during the rainy season when 

 the ground has been soaked with rain. 



2. CALOTROPIS, R.Br. 



SjDccies 1. C gigantea, R.Br.; 2. C. procera, R.Br. 



1. Calotropis gigantea, R.Br., and 2. Calotropis procera, R.Br. 



Well-known and widely distributed shrubs with milky juice and leaves 

 covered beneath with a white felty tomentum. They furnish useful fibres 

 from the stem, and the hair of the seeds is used for stuffing cushions. Owing 

 to their silky coma the seeds are carried to a considerable distance by the 

 wind, and the plants spring up readily on open ground and waste places. 

 C. procera in particular springs up in abundance on new sandy or gravelly 

 alluvium in the beds of rivers and is a common forerunner of riverain forests 

 of Acacia Catechu and Dalbergia Sissoo. The flowers and fruits appear at 

 various times, but chiefly in the cold and hot seasons. 



ORDER XLII. LOGANIACEAE 



Genera 1. Strychnos, Linn.; 2. Fagraea, Thunb. 



1. STRYCHNOS, Linn. 



Species 1. S. Nux-vomica, Linn.; 2. S. Nux-blanda, A. W. Hill; 3. aS. 

 potatorum, Linn. f. 



1. Strychnos Nux-vomica, Linn. Strychnine, nux-vomica or snakewood 

 tree. Y em. Kuchla, kajr a, Hind.; ^ar, Mar.; Kasarkana, Kan.; Mushti, 

 Tel. ; Yetti, Tarn. 



A moderate-sized or large handsome evergreen or deciduous tree with 

 opposite smooth shining leaves five-nerved from the base, the three central 

 nerves being prominent. Bark yellowish grey to blackish grey, thin, smooth, 

 covered with minute tubercles and containing chlorophyll tissue. The seeds 

 of this tree are the nux-vomica of commerce, and are of importance in yielding 

 the alkaloids strychnine and brucine. They are largely collected for sale ; 



2307.2 Z 



