368 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Habitat : — Throughout India, from the Indus eastwards, 

 and southwards to Ceylon and Malacca. 



A gregarious evergreen shrub or small tree. Bark thin, 

 grey, exfoliating, in long thin strips. Heart-wood extremely 

 hard and close-grained, dark brown, with an irregular outline, 

 sometimes mottled with black ; sap-wood pale. Pores very 

 small, scattered or in short radial lines. Medullary rays fine, 

 very numerous, the distance between them equal to the diameter 

 of the pores (Gamble). Shoots terete or somewhat angular. 

 Leaves more or less viscid, with shining yellowish resin, very 

 variable in breadth, 1-5 by 1 -ljin., undivided, oblanceolate, 

 glabrous, subapiculate, base cuneate-alternate, subsessile, 

 margin, revolute, entire or nearly so. Cymes terminal, short. 

 Flowers regular, yellowish, polygamous, inconspicuous. Sepals 

 oblong, 5-2 imbricate or valvate, T Vi m - long. Petals absent. 

 Stamens usually 8, as long as sepals in male flowers, shorter 

 than the sepals in hermaphrodite (lowers ; filaments much 

 shorter than the anthers. Disk inconspicuous. Ovary 3 or 4- 

 celled, 2 ovules in each cell. Style cylindric, 2-lobed on top. 

 Fruit a membranous capsule, with 2-4 broad wings from base to 

 style, | in. long and fin. across, including the wings, separating 

 septicidally into as many valves as cells, each valve winged on 

 its back. Seeds opaque, dark brown or black, with a thickened 

 funicle. 



Parts used : — The leaves. 



Uses : — The leaves of this shrub are viscid, and have a 

 somewhat sour and bitter taste (Dymock.) 



Lindley says the leaves are used in baths and fomentations. 



It is believed that the powdered leaves applied over a 

 wound will heal it without leaving a white scar. It is applied 

 in burns and scalds. Said to be useful also in rheumatism 

 (C. J. Peters in Watt's Dictionary.) Said to possess febrifuge 

 properties. 



In the Punjab, it is used in snake-bite. For this purpose, 

 the leaves are bruised and applied to the bitten part ; juice of 

 the leaves is also given internally (B. D. B.). 



