278 BOTANICAL OBSERVATIONS 



Root fibrous, tawny, obscurely jointed, stolon- 

 bearing. Scape long, columnar, sheathed with 

 leaves, imbricated from the root; a few sheaths 

 above, straggling. Lewes fleshy, channelled, 

 sword-form, keeled, terminated with awls, the 

 interior ones longer, mostly arched, variegated 

 with transverse undulating bands of a dark green 

 hue approaching to black. 



Raceme erect, very long. Flowers, from three to 

 seven in each fascicle, on very short petiols. 

 Bracts linear, minute. Carols pale pea-green, 

 with a delicate fragrance, resembling that of the 

 Peruvian Heliotrope; some of the Sanscrit 

 names allude to the honey of these delicious flowers 5 

 but the nectareous pores at the top of the germ are 

 not very distinct : in one copy of the Amaracdsha 

 we read Dhanuh-sreiii among the synonyma ; and 

 if that word, which means a series of bows, be cor- 

 rect, it must allude either to the arshed leaves or 

 to the refected divisions of the corol. This Ale- 

 tris appears to be a night -flower ; the raceme 

 being covered every evening with fresh blossoms, 

 which fall before sun-rise. 

 From the leaves of this plant, the ancient Hindus 



extricated a very tough elastic thread, called Maurvi, 



of which they made bow - strings, and which, for 



that reason, was ordained by Menu to form the 



sacrificial zone of the military class. 



35. Taruni : 



Syn. Saha\ Cumdri. 



\ulg. Ghrita-cuma'ri, 



Linn, 



