N. 0. TILIACEiE. 217 



912 G. polygama, Roxb. h.f.b.i., I. 398,, Roxb. 

 431. 



Syn. :- — G. lancifolia, Graham, Cat Bombay Plants 21. 



Vern. : — Kukur bicha (H.) ; Seta kata, seta andir (Santal) ; 

 Gowli or gowali (Bomb.) 



Habitat : — North-Western India, and along the Himalaya, 

 from the Salt Range to Nepal, also Concan. Dry country, 

 Ceylon. 



A shrubby plant or small tree. Branches bifarious, 

 spreading ; branchlets, petioles, under side of leaves velvety. 

 Leaves almost sessile, narrow beneath, distichous 3-4 by J-f in., 

 lanceolate, very acute serrate, base 3-nerved, nerves not arched, 

 secondary nerves transverse, parallel. Stipules subulate. 

 Peduncles 1-5, short, axillary, slender, generally fasciculate, 

 about half the length of the leaves ; pedicles 2-3, divergent, 

 shorter than the peduncle. Male flower : — Sepals \-\ in. diam., 

 linear, longer than the oblong entire petals, -§■ in., blade equal 

 to claw which is hairy on back. Stamens as a rule 10-12, but 

 sometimes more numerous. Hermaphrodite PI. : — Ovary very 

 hairy, stigma 5-lobed, lobes spreading, deeply cut into numerous 

 segments. Drupe \ in. diam ; hairy, brownish, more or less 

 2-lobed. Stones 4, 1-seeded. 



Use : — This plant is used by the aborigines of North-Wes- 

 tern Australia as a remedy for dysentery. Dr. W. E. Armit 

 states that on one occasion, having had to treat dysentery 

 following on fever and ague, this plant was pointed out to him 

 by a native as a sure remedy. He collected a quantity of 

 leaves, and having made a pale sherry-coloured decoction of 

 the leaves, he administered about two tablespoonsful for a dose. 

 Repeating this every four hours throughout the night, the sixth 

 dose made a complete cure. " Since then," says Mr. Armit, 

 u I have tried this remedy in scores of cases, and I have never 

 known it to fail in any case, however serious. I have made 

 it a rule to inform the carriers and travellers, I meet, of the 

 sure cure they have always at hand in case it may be requir- 

 ed, and all are unanimous in extolling its truly magical 

 28 



