140 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



A gregarious glaucous shrub or small tree. Bark, with 

 reticulate cracks showing the red inner bark. Wood moder- 

 ately hard, outer portion white. Pores small to moderate-sized 

 in groups or short radial lines, more abundant and larger 

 in the spring wood. Medullary rays very prominent, short, 

 fine to very broad, very prominent on radial section. The 

 distance between the rays is generally three or four times 

 the transverse diameter of the pores. The tree gives a 

 gum of bitter sweet flavour (Gamble), Leaves sheathing, 

 sheath tubular, apex acuminate, closely appressed, with a broad 

 white margin. Flowers dioecious, pentamerous, purple or light 

 pink, in stiff compact cylindrical pedunculate spikes often 

 forming loose panicles at the ends of branches. Bracts as long 

 as or nearly as long as the flowers. Male flowers : stamens alter- 

 nating with the 5 lobes of the flesh} 7 disk, anthers distinctly api- 

 culate. Female flowers: 5 thin linear staminodia ; styles 

 filiform, thickened at the end, longer than the ovary. Capsule 

 T 3 5 in. long, about twice the length of the withered sepals and 

 petals at the base. 



Use: — The twigs and galls are used in medicine as an 

 astringent (Stewart). 



123. T. articulata, Vahl., h.f.b.i., i. 249. 



Syn. :.— T. orientalis, Fovsk. 



Vern. :— Faras, farwa, marlei (Pb.>; Asrelei (Sind;. The 

 galls : — Choti-main (IT.); Magiya-main (Bomb-); Lal-jhau (B. & H.) 



Habitat : — Sind and the Punjab. 



A moderate-sized tree, with an erect trunk, frequently 

 6-7 ft, in growth. Bark grey, rough ; wood white moderately 

 hard. Annual rings indistinct. Pores moderate-sized, often in 

 groups or sub-divided, or singly between the medullary rays, 

 scanty. Medullary rays short, fine to very broad, the distance 

 between the rays somewhat greater than the transverse diameter 

 of the groups of pores ; prominent on a radical section as. irregu- 

 larly-shaped plates, giving the wood a handsome silver grain 

 'Gamble). Branchlets articulate at base of sheath, often grey 

 with saline efflorescence. Leaves sheathing, sheath to in. long, 



