N. 0. MALVACEAE. 179 



161. Pavonia odorata, Willd. h.f.b.l, 

 i. 331. Roxb. 530. 



Sans. : — Bala Heivera. 



Vern. : — Sugandha-bala(H.) ; Kala-vala (Bomb.) ; Peramu- 

 tiver paramutha, mudda pulagam (Tarn.); Erra kuti (Tel.); 

 Balarakkasi, gida (Kan.); Kalo Walo (Guj.). 



Habitat : —North- West Provinces, Sindh, Banda and Wes- 

 tern Peninsula. 



An erect herbaceous plant, with sticky hairs, glandular, 

 pubescent. Leaves 2J by 3in., cordate-ovate, with 3-5 shallow 

 pointed lobes ; lower petioles longer than the blades. Pedun- 

 cles as long as the leaves, 1-flowered, clustered at the ends of 

 the branches. Bracteoles 10-12, linear. Sepals lanceolate. 

 Corolla pink, twice as long as the Calyx. Carpels obovoid, 

 dehiscent, unarmed, wingless. Styles 10. Stigmas capitate ; 

 ovule one in each cell. Ripe carpels separating from the 

 axis. Seeds ascending. 



Part used : — The root. 



Use : — The root is fragrant and aromatic, and possesses 

 cooling and stomachic properties ; used in fever, inflammation 

 and haemorrhage from internal organs (U. C. Dutt). According 

 to Taylor, the root is prescribed as an astringent and tonic 

 in cases of dysentery. 



The therapeutic properties of the root are probably due to 

 the carminative quality of the odorous matter it contains, to- 

 gether with the mucilaginous character commonly met with in 

 members of N. 0. Malvaceae. 



162. Hibiscus fureatus, Roxb., h.f.b.l, i. 335. 



Roxb. 527. 



\ 



Vern. : — Huligowri (Kan.) ; Napiritta (Sinhalese). 

 Habitat : — Hotter parts of India, from Bengal to Ceylon. 

 A large, scrambling or climbing, semi-shrubby perennial ; 

 stems more or less tomentose or glabrous, set with numerous 



