Plants of the Punjab. 



577 



Climbing Plants with Opposite Exstipulate Simple Leaves. 



Petals ununited. 



curved, united below, lowest twice as long as the others, 

 style long, curved; fruit of 1-3 round, 3-winged nuts i in. 

 diam., wings unequal, narrowly oblong up to 2 in., often 

 a 4th shorter wing present. The juice is used as an in- 

 secticide, and as a cure for scabies (itch). 



Hydrangea altissima, 



Saxifragace^. 

 p. B. I. ii. 404. 

 Himalaya, 

 4-8,000 ft. 

 Narkanda, in forest 

 (Collett), 



perennial, woody, chmbing, branohlets smooth ; leaves 

 3-6 in., ovate or lanceolate, sharply toothed, long-pointed, 

 smooth along the nerves on the lower surface ; flowers in 

 rounded compound hairy clusters, 3-6 in. across, sterile 

 flowers with white calyces, fertile flowers small, incon- 

 spicuous, sterile flowers calyx lobe petal-like, white, IJin. 

 across, 4-lobed spreading, petals none, fertile flowers, -^-^ 

 in. long, calyx tube joined to the capsule, 4-toothed, 

 petals 4, white, falling off like a cup, stamens 10, styles 2, 

 diverging ; capsule 2-4-celled, crowned with the persistent 

 calyx and styles, seeds minute, tailed at each end. The 

 bark is used as a substitute for paper. 



Combretum 

 decandrum, 



Punk, 



Combretace^. 

 P. B. I. ii. 452. 

 The Plains to 

 2,000 ft. 



large, perennial, woody, young parts silkily velvety, 

 branches hanging down, and almost climbing, covered with 

 white bracts in flower ; leaves 4-5 in. long, oblong, sud- 

 denly long-pointed, smooth, stalks ^ in. ; flowers -f in. long, 

 greenish-white, in dense very v/oolly branching racemes, 

 bracts 2-3 in. long, woolly, bracteoles \ in., linear, 

 almost persistent, calyx urn-shaped, hairy, lobes 5, lanceo- 

 late, awl-shaped, almost erect, soon drooping off, petals 5, 

 oblong, smooth, stamens 10 ; fruit about 1 in. long, oblong 

 or narrowed to both ends, with 5 broad wings, seed 

 one. 



Quisqualis Indica, 



Bangun-M-hel. 



COMBRETACE^. 



F. B. I. ii. 459. 

 The Plaiiis. 

 Cultivated. 



large, perennial, woody, rambling climber ; leaves 4 in., 

 oblong, long-pointed, entire, almost smooth, stalks ^-| in., 

 rusty woolly ; flowers 1|-2| in., rose or scarlet, in short 

 spikes, axillary and terminal, bracteoles f in., lanceolate, 

 almost persistent, calyx long, slender, 5-fid, teeth tri- 

 angular, short-pointed, petals 5, oblong or almost round, 

 stamens 10, short ; fruit f-1^ in. by | in., dry, leathery, 

 black, very sharp at the five sharp angles, seed one. A 

 handsome climber. 



