GOG 



THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. 

 By Surgeon-Lieut.-Colonel K. R. Kirtikar, i.m.s., f.l.s. 

 On special duty (Plague), Bombay Municipality. 

 Part XVIII. 

 (With Plate T.) 

 (Continued from page 261 of this Vol.) 

 CALOTROPIS GIGANTEA (Br.) . 

 Natural Order— Asclepiade^e. 



MARATHI-sC- (#«0- 



A shrubby plant common in dry waste places, loose rocky soil, sandy 

 ground, and old walls and hedges, throughout the Bombay Presidency. 

 It avoids heavy clayey soil where its roots cannot easily penetrate. 

 Milky throughout ; glaucous or ash-coloured. 



ROOT. — This is the most important part of the plant medicinally; 

 often dividing and subdividing as far forward as its branches can pene- 

 trate ; twisting slightly on itself before branching. The root-bark is 

 pale or buff-coloured when fresh, § to \ inch thick. Root-substance 

 corky, soft, longitudinally wrinkled ; taste bitter ; milky juice acrid. 



STEM. — Generally stout ; when erect, 5-6 feet high, and 12-18 

 inches in girth ; sometimes slightly reflexed ; full of pith. 



Branches. — Often starting from the very base of the stem ; 

 thick, herbaceous all through ; woolly, and covered over with a white 

 mealy powder. This is well seen when the branches are young and 

 fresh ; it disappears as the plant grows old, or if it is roughly handled. 

 As the branches grow old, the pith disappears. The branches are then 

 hollow. 



Bark. — The Cortex or outer hark is tomentose ; light or pale buff- 

 coloured ; slightly corky -and wrinkled longitudinally. The Liber ox 

 inner bark is green, and is mainly made up of strong, long, pale, silky, 

 fine fibres of much commercial value. The Wood is soft, porous, light, 

 cream-coloured or yellowish. Milky juice abundant. 



LEAVES. — Exstipulate ; opposite, rigid, often decussate ; tomentose 

 above, cottony beneath ; the tomentum on the upper surface disappears 

 on rough handling and from di'ied specimens. Hence it is that Hooker 



