174 HEMIDESMUS INDICUS 



triangular inflexed appendages, which are united by their margins 

 to form a horizontal cover to the stigma; anther-cells small, in 

 contact with but fiee from the stigma, smooth; pollen collected 

 into masses, 2 in each cell, and becoming attached in fours to the 

 dilated apex of each angle of the stigma. Ovaries 2, small, com- 

 pressed ; styles united to form a short, thick, tapering body ; 

 stigma large, thick, capitate, bluntly pentagonous, smooth, the 

 top slightly raised in the centre. Fruit of 2 widely divaricated 

 follicles, about 4 inches long, straight, linear, tapering, smooth, 

 dehiscing along the ventral suture. Seeds numerous, overlapping, 

 elongated, brownish-black, provided with a long tuft of white 

 hairs at the hilum ; embryo straight, in scanty endosperm. 



Habitat. This grows throughout the Indian Peninsula, and is 

 a common and well-known plant, being found in uncultivated 

 places everywhere. The great variety in the form of the leaves 

 is remarkable, and led the native Hindoos to make two species of 

 the plant, but every variety of leaf may be found on stems 

 coming off from one root. 



Roxb., PL India, ii, p. 39; Decaisne, in DC. Prod., viii, p. 494; 

 Lindl., PL Med., p. 543. 



Official Part and Name. HEMIDESMI RADIX ; the dried root 

 (B. P.). The root (Eemidesmi Radix) (I. P.). It is not official 

 in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States. 



General Characters and Composition. Hemidesmus root is 

 imported from India. It is commonly known under the name of 

 Indian Sarsaparilla ; and also in India as Nunnari Root. It 

 occurs in pieces of various lengths, but rarely less than 6 inches ; 

 and commonly from about \ to i an inch in thickness, although 

 thicker roots are sometimes to be found. The roots are more or 

 less twisted, unbranched or furnished with a few small rootlets, 

 cylindrical, furrowed longitudinally, and the cortical portion 

 divided transversely so as to form annular cracks. It has a 

 yellowish-brown or dark brown colour externally ; a peculiar 

 fragrant odour, resembling that of melilot or the tonquin bean ; 

 and a sweetish agreeable taste, combined with a very slight 



