N. 0. STERCULIACE^. 207 



A moderate-sized tree, with thick longitudinally cracked 

 bark. Wood light red, moderately hard. Branchlets and in- 

 florescence densely clothed, with fine ferruginous or tawny stel- 

 late hairs. Leaves distichous, 2-4 in., from a rounded base 

 ovate-oblong, acuminate, often irregularly lobed in the upper 

 part, upperside glabrous, underside white or yellowish, filled 

 with fine stellate hairs. Flowers yellowish-white, sweet-scented, 

 peduncles short, axillary, sometimes bearing 2-3 flowers ; brac- 

 teoles, deciduous, linear. ■ Sepals linear, fleshy, brown tomentose 

 4-5 in. long, |-J in. broad. Petais a little larger then the sepals, 

 but brown and thinner, white. Capsule 2-3 in. long, f in. diam., 

 attenuate into a stalk J-f in. long, tapering at apex to a point, 

 brown velvety. Seeds winged, numerous. 



Use : — The flower made into a paste with kanjika Trice 

 vinegar) forms an application for hemicrania (Dutt). 



In theConcan, the flowers and bark of this, and P. acerifo- 

 lium, are charred and mixed with kamalaand applied in suppur- 

 ating small-pox. (Dymock.) The sweet scent of the flowers is due 

 to the small glands on the outer side of the thickened sepals. The 

 sepals are much used by the Bombay High-class ladies in their 

 hair on account of the lasting fragrance of the glands, (K. R. K ) 



183. P. acerifolium, Willd., h.f.b.i., i. 368, 

 Roxb. 158. 



Sansk : — Karnikara. 



Vern. : — Kanak-champa, kaniar, katha-champa (FT.) ; Mach- 

 kunda (Santal) ; Laider (Michi.) ; rlarni-kara, kanak-champa 

 ;Bomb.) ; Matsa kanda (Tel.); Toungpetwun, tha-majam wei- 

 soke (Burm.). 



Habitat :— From the N. W. Himalaya in Kumaon, to 

 Chittagong and Concan. 



A tall evergreen tree. " Bark thin grey, smooth. Sap- 

 wood white ; heart wood soft to moderately hard, red. Pores 

 scanty, small oval or elongated, generally sub-divided, visible 

 on a longitudinal section. Medullary rays fine, very numerous, 

 undulating, not prominent, uniform, equidistant. Fnnumerable 

 very fine concentric lines ^Gamble). Leaves obovate, polymor- 



