TERMINALIA CHEBULA. (Nat. ord. Combretacere.) 



-Cor Gen. Char, see under " Terminalia tomenbosa." 



TERMINALIA CHEBULA. (Retz.) A large tree, trunk rarely straight, bark ash-colored and cracked ; branches numerous 

 spreading, their extremities drooping and downy when young, leaves sub-opposite, shortly petioled ovate or oblong, acute or obtuse at 

 the apex, obtuse or cordate at the base, entire when young clothed especially above with silky hairs, at length glabrous and furnished 

 with one gland on each side of the base of the leaves and occasionally on the apex of the petiole ; stipules none, spikes terminal or 

 axillary, often panicled ; flowers numerous small dull white, fetid, all hermathrodite, bracts solitary downy subulate 1 -flowered, calyx 

 bowl-shaped 5 toothed hairy, particularly on the inside, with five very hairy glands at the bottom surrounding the base of the style ; 

 filaments ten alternately a.little shorter or equal in length, twice the length of the calyx, anthers small oval ; ovary hairy 1 -celled, with 

 two ovules attached to the top of the cell, style rather shorter than the stamens, stigma acute, drupe oval about 1| inches long and about 

 1 inch in diameter, smooth of a pale greenish yellow very obscurely 5-angled, 1-celled, pulp hard and yellowish, nut oblong thick 

 and very hard with a rough surface and obscurely 5-furrowed, seed solitary lanceolate. Roxb. Fl. Ind. \wp. 433 ; — Retz. obs. v. p. 31. 

 Myrobalanus chebula, Gcertn. ; — Melanoxylon cadika-maram, Koen. 



This large tree is found all over the forests of the Madras Presidency, and is sometimes planted; it is also found in Mysore, Bengal 

 Bombay, Birmah and Ceylon ; it is called Kadakai in Tamil, Karaka andKarakd Maddi in Teligoo, Sara and Halda in Hindustani Heerda 

 in Canarese, and Araloo f/ass in Ceylon. The wood is of good quality, andmuch used for building purposes ; the heart wood is yellowish brown or 

 dark brown, hard and heavy, and makes good furniture, but is cross-grained and difficult to work. In Birmah yokes and canoes are made of it. The 

 tender leaves when scarce unfolded are punctured by aninsect, and its eggs deposited therein, which by the extravasation of the sap, become enlarged 

 into hollow glands of various shapes and sizes up co 1 inch in diameter ; they are powerfully astringent, and make as good ink as oak galls : they 

 also yield mixed with alum a good durable yellow dye. The fruit is an article of commerce for the large quantity of tannin which it contains. The 

 fruit and gall nuts are both used medicinally by the natives. 



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