626 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1852. 



The jungle variety from tlie larger proportion of tbe salines it contains makes 

 more palatable cutlets. The best time to use the flowers is after the spadix 

 has formed the plantains from its earlier flowers and left the final close-packed 

 crimson spathes in a tuft at tbe apex of the flower stalk, several inches 

 beyond the already formed plantains. This special bnfb is of no further use 

 for developing plantains, and if left on the stalk, by degrees opens, spathe by 

 spathe, and its non-fructifying flowers fade and drop off day by day. No better 

 use, therefore, could be made of this remnant of the flower- stalk than by 

 using it for culinai'y purposes. The panicles of small white flowers thrown by 

 the Helmia bulbifera (Karinda) in abundant beautiful pendulous tassels in the 

 rainy season are also sold in our bazaars. These flowers also are used in 

 curries. The pink succulent mucilaginous spikes of Aloe vera ( Korkand) 

 — known by our people as Shelar — are also used in curries. The mucilage 

 may be soothing and agreeable to some stomachs. The scapose spathe and 

 the tender spadix of AmorpJiophallus campanulatus make a good curry if 

 cooked soon after the flower stalk shoots out of the magnificent tuberous root. 

 The spathe and spadix of the Fythonium W allichianum {^\\eyv\a) oi yet more 

 delicate texture, so abundant incur forests just before the outburst of the 

 monsoons, are also similarly used in curries when fresh. The fruit of Garuga 

 pinnata or Kakud is sold with it. If the Kakud is mixed with the Shewla in 

 curries, much of the acridity of the plant is lost. The acid fruit of Bilimbi 

 {Averrhoa Bilimbi) is also boiled with it to reduce the acidity. The acid 

 Potassium Oxalate, which the Bilimbi contains, helps, I believe, in destroying 

 the acrid principle of the plant. Both the Suran and Shewla have to be used 

 with caution, as sometimes their acridity irritates the throat to an injurious 

 extent. The flower-heads of the common Onion are also used under the name 

 of Powada in stews. They are agreeable. The stalks are delicious when not 

 too old. 



We next come to the class of flowers which supply us with some of our dyes. 

 Chief among them we have the petals of Butea frondosa (Palas), the dye of 

 which is used during the Holi Holidays. Then we have the Carthamnus 

 tinctorius (Kardai) ; its bright orange or yellow corollas are largely used under 

 the name of Kusumba for making a rich dye. The flowers of Pomegranate 

 are also used for making a light red dye. The bright scarlet tubular flowers 

 of J'Fooc?/'orcZia_^ori5M«d'a (Dhaiti), which are common in our jungles, is used for 

 dyeing silk. The rich orange-coloured tube of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, which 

 shines in marked contrast with its pearl-white corolla, affords a brilliant dye 

 of orange, which is, however, not lasting. The familiar saffron, though not of 

 Indian origin, is also a floral product, being the dried stigmata of Crocus 

 sativus. It is worthy of being mentioned here, as very often spurious saffr on 

 is sold in our bazaars, which, instead of being the parts of the female element 

 of the CrocMs, is made up of the dried stamens of Poinciana pulcherrima so 

 common in our parts. The rich orange buds of Suvangi mentioned before are 

 largely used for dyeing silks. 



