N, 0. MALVACEAE. 197 



176. Bombax Malabaricum D.C., h.f.b.i., 

 i. 349. Roxb. 514. 



Syn. :— B. heptaphylla, Roxb. 



Sans. : — Shalmali; mocha. Rakta Shalmali. Maha vriksba, 

 Panch-parni, kalpa vriksa. 



Vern. : — Semul or Semal, shembal, semur, pagun, somr, 

 ragat-seubal, ragat-semar, kanti-seubal (H.) ; Rokto-simul, simul 

 (B.);simbal, sliivlan (Pb.) Del (Kol); Edel (Santal) ; Bouro, 

 (Uriya) ; Boicbu, pancbu (Naro) ; Sunglu (Lepcbaj ; Sanvari 

 Kantesava saer, somr, semuel, shembal, (Bom.) ; La vara, Simbo, 

 samar, kante-savar, kanteri samar, shevari, tamari savari, (Mar.) ; 

 Rato-shemalo, shemolo, shimlo, shimul shimar, (Guz.); Kanton- 

 Ka-Khatyan, kanto-ka-semul, lal-katyan (Dek) ; Mundlaburaga- 

 chettu (Tel.) ; Pula, Mul-ilava-maram, mulilann (Tarn.) ; Pula- 

 maram, mul-lilava, mullia-pula (Mai) ; Mullu-buragam-ara, burla, 

 (Kan.) ; Wallaiki fGond.); Katseori ' v BhiL). 



Habitat : — Tropical Eastern Himalaya, and throughout the 

 hotter forest regions of India, Ceylon, Burma, Sumatra. 



A very large deciduous tree, with branches in whorls, 5-7, 

 spreading horizontally, and stem with buttresses at base. Bark 

 grey, when young, with conical prickles, with corky base, when 

 old with long irregular vertical cracks. Wood white when 

 fresh cut, turning dark on exposure, very soft, perishable. 

 No heartwood, no annual rings. Leaves digitate, glabrous. 

 Leaflets 5 or 7, lanceolate, 4-8 in. long, common petiole as long as 

 or longer than the leaflets. Flowers appearing before the leaves, 

 large, scarlet, occasionally white ; Calyx inside silky — tomentose. 

 Petals 2-3 in. long, stellate-tomentose on both faces. Filaments 

 numerous, pluri-seriate, much longer than the staminal 

 column ; 5 innermost forked at the top, each with an anther, 10 

 intermediate. shorter, outer very numerous (Maxwell T. Masters). 

 Brandis says the filaments are about 70 ; the numerous outer 

 ones united in 5 clusters. Anthers long, afterwaids twisted. 

 Petals 5, oblong, recurved, fleshy, twice the length of the 

 stamens. Style longer than the stamens. Capsule 6-7 in., 

 oblong, hard, woody, downy, 5-valved. Valves silky within. 



