N. 0. SAPINDAOE^. 355 



generally observed in the same disease under the use of ordi- 

 nary purgatives. This is the chief cause of my including the 

 above plant in this work (Moodeen Sheriff). 



311. ZEsculus hippocastanum, Linn, h.f.bj., 

 i. 675.- 



Eng. Horse-chestnut. 



Vern:— Pfi (Pb.j. 



Habitat : — Found in India only in a state of cultivation. 



North America, Temparate Asia, Asia Minor ; Central 

 Asia. 



Large trees, often reaching 50-60 ft., with a broad pyram- 

 idal outline or shrubs. Trunk erect. Leaves opposite ex-stipnlate, 

 digitately composite ; leaflets 7, broad, unequal in size, serrate. 

 Flowers irregular, polygamous, interminal, more or less elongate, 

 branched cymiferous racemes. Cymes often 1-parous. Lobes of 

 gamophyllons tubular Calyx 5, unequal, imbricate. Corolla 

 snowy white, dashed with pink and yellow, inodorous. Petals 5, 

 or, the 5th place vacant, 4, unequal unguiculale ; claw linear, 

 compressed or canaliculate ; limb in-appendiculate, imbricate. 

 Stamens 5-8, subcentric ; filaments free, interior to annular 

 or unilateral disk. Sub-hypogynous, erect or arcuately decli- 

 nate. Anthers introse, 2-rimose, dehiscent by two longitudinal 

 clefts. Germen (in male flower rudimentary) sub-centric, sessile, 

 3-locular, the ovular coat is double. Style terminal, elongate, 

 apex stigmatose, simple. Ovules in cells 2, inserted in the internal 

 angle ; one ascendent ; raphe ventral ; the other descendent ; 

 raphe dorsal. Fruit capsular, 3-locular, smooth or more rarely 

 echinate, coriaceous, globose or sub-3-lobed, loculicidal, cells, 

 1-3, 1-2-spermous. Seeds sub-globose ; hilum large. Testa 

 smooth, coriaceous, exarillate. Cotyledons of ex-albuminous 

 embryo thickly fleshy, hemi-spherical, conferruminate. Radicle 

 arched, more or less sheathed within the testa. The pollen is 

 ellipsoid. 



* In Hooker's P. B. I., contributor W. P. Hiern says, at p. 675; "the 

 JEsculus Hippocastanum, Linn, is said to be indigenous in North India, but it 

 is not now known in the wild state (1875 A. D.)"— K. R. K. 



