4<k* 



MORINGA PTERYGOSPERMA. (Nat. order Moringacese.) 



MoRINGA. Juss.— GEN. CHAR. Same a3 that of the order, for which see Manual. 



MoKINGA PTERYGOSPERMA. (Geertn.) A small or middling sized tree, leaves twice or thrice pinnate, leaflets small 

 oval, a stalked gland present on the petioles at the insertion of the pinna? and the same at the insertion of the secondary pinna?, and of 

 the leaflets, flowers white or rarely reddish, 5 fertile stamens and 5-7 staminodia, capsules triquetrous seeds 3 angled, the angles 

 expanding into wings. Gcertn. fr. 2 p. 314 t. 147-; — Rheed. Mai. 6 t. 11 ; — Wight III. tab. 77. 



This is the horse radish tree of India. It is very common about villages throughout India, and is quite wild in some jungles ; the root 

 furnishes the horse radish andthejruit is eaten in curries ; the seeds yield a very pure sweet oil which is used as salad oil in the West Indies, and 

 is also employed by viatchmakers, as it does not freeze at a very low temperature. The tree is very easily raised from seed ; its timber is very 

 soft and useless, and not even fit for juel ; its twigs and leaves are good fodder. An oil exudes font incisions in the trunk, which is used in 

 rheumatism. 



Hr. Dalzeli describes, in his Bombay Flora, a second species under the name of M. Coucanensis, which he states is vjild on the 

 ghats in the Concan, and which only differs from this in having larger and rounder leaflets, and in the flowers being yellowish streaked with pink ; 

 it is probably only a variety of the tree here figured. A wild variety very abundant on the hills in Nortk Arcoi, particularly so in the Thelle 

 jungles about 16 miles from Vellore, has also mueh larger and rounder leaflets than the ordinary cultivated form, and is probably Mi: DahelVs 

 tree, though 1 hare not seen it in flower; the natives informed me that the fruit of this xoild variety is never eaten ; there were no traces of flower or 

 fruit on any of these trees in the month of December, though all the cultivated ones at the same period were in flower. 



SO 



