THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY, 65 



a half. Surface of stem irregularly verrucosa or '' scabrous fcu- 

 bercled,'' as Clarke calls it 5 glabrous where there are no warts. 

 The whole stem tapers gradually from the root to the growing tip, 

 varying in thickness at the root from | to 1 inch in diameter. This 

 tapering is highly characteristic of this plant. The inner substance 

 of the stem throughout consists of close-packed white pith which 

 occupies over three-fourths of its diameter. The pith has an 

 aromatic sweetish smell, not unlike the smell of some of the pith 

 containing stems of the Oraniinacece. The woody portion is barely 

 a line or two in width or thickness. The outer-bark peels off very 

 chin on scratching, is translucent and of buff colour in the old parts 

 of the plant, purplish or pink at the growing end. The warts 

 do not extend to the inner bark. The inner bark, green. 



Branches.— G-enerally absent, but when given off, always arise at 

 the joints J are seldom subdivided; bearing a pair of opposite 

 leaves j not thicker than a goose-quill ; partaking of the quadri- 

 lateral nature of the stem ; verrucoses buff coloured when old; pink 

 or purplish and downy when young and growing. 



Leaves. — Decussace, arising at the joints only; 7-10 inches ' 

 long, 3-5 inches broad ; crenate ; scabrous and ciliated on the 

 upper and under surfaces ; " Elliptic-cuspidate'^ — running down 

 iuto a thin long petiole, 2-3 inches long; nerves well marked 

 especially on the under surface, whitish, and here and there covered 

 with small warts, 8-20 pair. Odour faintly aromatic when the leaf 

 is bruised, — ^some say strongly aromatic. Feel sticky when the 

 leaves are young, from the lluid contained in the hair-cells. 



Spikes.— Axillary single or in pair, bilateral j 1-4 inches long; 

 strobiliform. It is on account of this characteristic strobiliform ar- 

 rano-emeutof the bracts that the genus derives its name Slrohilanthes. 

 Inflorescence densely cymoso. Peduncles 2"'J lines in length. Bracts 

 ^-1 inch long, concave, glabrous, with entire margins; the lower 

 ones elliptical or oval, tough, green, remoto from each other; the 

 lower ones tapering or orbicular, tender, beautifully pink, closer 

 packed, imbricate. The colour of flowers, beautifully purplish-blue, 

 tinged with pink or rosy hue. Dalzeil describes tho flower as being 

 **deej} blue" Nees calls it '^ccenilea." ( Vide VVallich's Plant. Asiat. 

 Rarior. Part III.^ p. 85.) lb may bo noted that the colour of my 



