212 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Habitat : — Generally distributed, and frequently cultivated 

 in the warmer parts of India and Ceylon. 



A small tree, a native of Tropical America, buc fre- 

 quently cultivated in the warmer parts of India and Ceylon. 

 Bark brown rough. Wood white or yellowish or light brown, 

 soft, even-grained. Annual rings faintly marked. Pores mod- 

 erate-sized, fairly numerous, often subdivided. Meduallary 

 rays moderately broad to broad, not numerous, conspicuous 

 in the silver-grain on a radical section. The tree is easily 

 grown and propagated, "planted or run wild," adds Gamble. 

 Herbaceous portions tomentose. Leaves from an unequal-sided 

 base, obliquely cordate, ovate-oblong or lanceolate, acuminate, 

 serrate, scabrid or glabrescent above, pubescent beneath ; base 

 5-7-nerved ; petiole short. Flowers numerous, small, yellow and 

 purple in terminal and axillary panicles, which are twice the 

 length of the leaves ; or in multifid cymes. Flower-buds globose. 

 Calyx 1 Jin. bell-shaped, stellate-hairy ; sepals ultimately re- 

 flexed ; petals exceeding the Calyx, claw concave. 5 Petaloid 

 Staminodes alternating with 5 filaments each, bearing several 

 anthers. Anthers concealed in the hood of the petals. Capsule 

 5-valved, lin. long, oblong obtuse, or ovoid, woody, with obtuse 

 black tubercles, resembling a mulberry. 



Part used : — The bark. 



Use : — In Martinique, the infusion of the old bark is 

 esteemed as a sudorific, and as useful in cutaneous diseases and 

 diseases of the chest (Lindley.) 



The bark is tonic and demulcent, and is used with benefit 

 in some of those cases in which calumba and gentian are indi- 

 cated (Moodeen Sheriff.) 



The inner bark is esteemed as a remedy for elephantiasis 

 in West Indies (Watt.) 



N. 0, TILIACEiE. 



188. Grewia tilicefolia, Vahl. H.F.B.I., I. 386, 

 Roxb. 431. 



Sans. : — Dharmana, Dhanurvriksha ; Dhanvan. 



