THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. n 



TRICHOSANTHES V ALM AT A.— {Roxh.) 



•Marathi " Koundal" {<=lfit^^). 



(Natural order. — CuouRBiTACEiE). 

 Bescription. — A large climbing perennial herb ; sometimes 

 twisting spirally to a marked degree ; a native of forests and field 

 kedges, running over the highest trees at times : distinctly dioecious. 

 Root, — Inclined to be wavy or contorted. 



Stem. — Angular or ii'regularly rounded ; deeply fissured longi- 

 tudinally ; often as thick as a man's arm, says Dr. Dymock, and 

 marked with parallel rows of small irregular warts on either side 

 of each fissure; noduled and jointed; each joint situated at the 

 distance of from 1-| to 2 or 3 inches ; giving off leaves or branches 

 at the joint's only. The transverse section of a mature stem shows 

 that the longitudinal fissures correspond to the medullary rays and 

 include between each pair of them wedge-shaped woody and vas- 

 cular bundles, studded with round or oval intercellular canals of 

 pretty large size sufficient to admit an ordinai'y pin. Dymock 

 calculates these wedge-shaped portions as seven, but I have specimens 

 before me in which they are as many as ten. When in spring or 

 before the rains, the plant is resting and leafless, these intercellular 

 spaces contain air. But when the plant revives, and resumes its 

 activity in the rains, they contain sap which continues to flow 

 through them for some time after the rains. 



The outek bare. — Is light grey or brown, warty, corky, often 

 presenting the appearance of crocodile skin; peeling off easily in 

 irregular bits. Mesophloem deep green. 



Beanches — Partaking of the spiral or winding nature of the 

 stem; minutely tuberculated ; young branches full of greenish pith. 

 Older branches contain brown pith which loses its spongy nature 

 and hardens into a rough friable substance. 



Tendrtls. — Three-cleft,- oftener bifid, minutely spiral. 

 Leaves. — Generally palmate, bright green, membranous ; 4-8 

 inches long, 2-6 inches broad, 3-5 or even 7-lobed ; cordate at base ; 

 scabrous upon the upper and under surfaces ; upper surface more 

 markedly scabrous, and spotted with larger hairs seated on raised 

 circular discs, giving the leaf a characteristic appearance under the 



