l96 fOUlST TRIES. 



References,— FZ. of Brit. Ind. ; Diet, of Econ. 

 Prod, of Ind. ; Pharm. Ind. 



The poison nut. A middle-sized evergreen tree, 

 ■with fruit the size and form of a small apple. 

 Coinmon in Coorg and South Western Mysore, but 

 "not very abundant elsewhere. The poisonous 

 nature of the seed, which affords strychnia, is well 

 'known. It is also said that the leaves are fatal to 

 horses, although the pulp of the fruit is generally 

 eaten by_ birds and vermin. The "root, stem, bark, 

 a,nd seeds are used in medicine. It is reported by 

 the Sub Assistant Conservator of forests, Shikarpur 

 Sub Division, that the root-paste, formed on a wet 

 "stone, — gandha — is considered to be a good stimul- 

 ant in cases of prostration. Wood hard, brownish- 

 grey, splits and warps when seasoned. Not un- 

 commonly used for fuel when procurable. 



Cultivation. — In poor soils, the growth of Mushti 

 is usually slow, but when the trees are manured 

 and watered they develope more rapidly, and bear 

 fruit in from 10 to 12 years. Seedlings should be 

 planted in large pits of loose soil at the commence- 

 ment. 75 per cent of the seed is unfertile at 

 Bangalore. 



398 Strychnos potatorum, Linn. Kan. CMl, Chiiiu, 



CHUa. 



Fig.-WigU lU. t 156. 



References.-^, of Brit. Ind, ; Diet, of Econ. 

 Frod. of Ind. ; Pharm. Ind. 

 The clearing-nut tree. Smooth, evergreen, of 

 small or medium size, often felled for fuel. From a 

 very remote period, the ripened seeds of this tree 

 have been used in India for clearing muddy water. 

 The species is perhaps best known by its Sanskrit 

 name hataka, the merits of which are handed down 

 in the oldest Hindu writings. It is mostly confined 

 to the subalpine regions of Mysore, where, however 



