30 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



cm. long, 3-7'5 cm. broad, lateral divisions separated by a 

 narrow sinus from the intermediate, broad-trapezoid, 2'5-7*5 cm. 

 long, very unequally 2-3-partite to f-f, all the divisions much 

 inciso-dentate or laciniate, with acute dentate iaciniae. 'Inflo- 

 rescence stiff, racemose or often panicled, narrow, many-flowered, 

 dense, rarely loose and subflexuous, more or less tomentose, 

 with spreading or deflexed hairs ; lower bracts like the preced- 

 ing leaves, but smaller, more elongate and less dissected, 

 longer than the pedicels, intermediate and upper lanceolate or 

 oblong, sparingly dentate or entire, often over 2 cm. long, 

 pedicels erect, rather stout, lower over 2-5 cm. long, upper 

 much shorter ; bracteoles, if any, herbaceous, rather broad and 

 dentate, or narrow and entire to very narrow. Sepals of a 

 saturated blue, more rarely pale or purplish blue, more or less 

 pubescent to almost tomentose; uppermost helmet-shaped, 

 helmet erect or slightly oblique, depressed, semi-orbicular in 

 profile, almost equally curved in front and on the back, 

 20-24 mm. high, 20-24 mm. from the tip to the base, 12-15 mm. 

 wide, produced into a very short beak, claw very short and 

 broad; lateral sepals oblique, suborbicular, 12-18 mm. long, 

 obscurely clawed ; lower horizontal or deflexed, oblong, obtuse, 

 8-12 mm. long. Nectaries glabrous or scantily hispidulous, 

 claw slightly curved or straight, 10-12, rarely 14 mm. long, 

 hood much leaning forward or sub-horizontal, dorsally gibbous 

 or almost spurred on the top, 6-8 mm. long, lip usually short, 

 broad emarginate. Filaments glabrous or sparingly hispidulous 

 in upper part, 7-8 mm. long, winged to or beyond the middle, 

 wings gradually running out or suddenly contracted into 

 small teeth. Carpels 5, oblong or ovoid, contracted into the 

 slightly shorter style, densely tomentose. Follicles 5, oblong, 

 somewhat turgid, contiguous, about 10 mm. long., 4-45 mm. 

 broad, hairy. Seeds obpyramidal> about 4 mm. long, winged 

 along the rhaphe, with undulate hyaline transverse lamellae on 

 on the faces. 



Properties and uses ' — This species is the principal source of 

 the Bikh or Bish of the Calcutta market. An account of the mode 

 of collecting the root in Sikkim may be found in Kanny Lai 

 Dey's work on the ' Indigenous Drugs of India, (1896), where it 



