MENISPERMACEiE. 



103 



numerous. The species are found in most of the great divisions of the 

 earth, except Europe, but are most numerous in Asia. 



C. palmatus, Lam. — Leaves cordate, 5-7 lobed ; lobes entire, acuminate, somewhat 

 hairy on both sides. Stem and germ, with glandular hairs. 



Hooker, Bot. Mag. 2970-71. Lindley, Flor. Med. 369. Stephenson 

 and Churchill, Med. Bot., iii. 160. Menispermum palmatum, Berry, 

 Asiat. Research., x. 385. 



Common Names. — Colomba, Columbo, Calumba. 



Foreign Names. — Calombo, Fr. Calumba, It. Kalumb, Mozamb. 



Description. — Root perennial, 

 formed of many fleshy, descend- 

 ing tubers, covered with a brown 

 skin, and somewhat rugged at 

 the upper part, internally yel- 

 low. Stems annual, twining, 

 simple in male plant, branched 

 in female, with glandular hairs. 

 Leaves alternate, large, deeply 

 cordate, 5 to 7-lobed, dark green 

 above, paler beneath, hirsute. 

 Racemes of flowers in male 

 plants axillary, compound, with 

 small caducous bracts at base ; 

 in the female plant, also axilla- 

 ry, simple, shorter than in the 

 male. The calyx is glabrous, 

 of 6 sepals, arranged in a double 

 series. The corolla consists of 

 6 pale-green petals in a single 

 row. The stamens are 6, with 

 terminal, truncate, 4-celled an- 

 thers. The pistils are 3, of 

 which two are often abortive ; 

 stigma spreading. The fruit 

 is a berry, about the size of a 

 hazel-nut, covered with long 

 glandular hairs. The seed is 

 somewhat reniform, of a black 

 colour, and transversely stri- 

 ated. 



The root of this plant has 

 long been known under the 

 name of Columbo, and it 

 was early ascertained that 

 it was derived from some 

 part of the East Indies, supposed most generally from Ceylon, from the coin- 

 cidence of its name with that of one of the principal towns in that island. 

 Thunberg, in his travels, first asserted that this was not the case, but that it 

 came from the coast of Malabar. Commerson, during a residence in the Isle 

 of France, gathered some specimens of a plant, which he designated as " Co- 

 lumbo in Indiis vocatum." These were described by Lamarck under the 

 name of Menispermum palmatum, and he further suggested that it might 

 be the true Columbo. There the matter rested until 1805, when a M. Fortin 

 brought from Mozambique to Madras a fresh root, which being planted, pro- 

 duced a male plant, from which the description of Dr. Berry was made. 



C. palmatus. 

 a Male flowers, b Calyx, c Stamen, d Petal, c Bract. 



