402 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



on the lower side at the base. Stipules or small, not decur- 

 rent. Peduncles finely silky, usually twice the leaves. Race- 

 mes all lateral, leaf-opposed, usually reduced to a few flowers ; 

 minute, hairy bracteole at the joint ; arranged in lax, slender, 

 erect or ascending glabrous, recenose panicles, several of which 

 arise from leaf-axil. Calyx-segments strongly imbricate, or- 

 bicular, very obtuse, glabrous. Petals much longer than sepals, 

 oval-oblong, spreading. Stamens only 2-4 ; bracts subulate, 

 very minute. Oalyx ife-J-" 1 -? densely silky ; teeth linear, long. 

 Corolla small, yellow, not exserted. Pod linear-oblong, glabrous, 

 nearly sessile, |-f in. long, 12-15 seeded. 



Use : — Used by the Santals in derangement of the sto- 

 mach. 



341. C albida, Heyne. h.f.b.l, ii. 71. 



Syn. C. montana, Eoxh. 547. 



Vern. Ban-methi (H). 



Habitat :~-Tropical region through India proper and Ceylon, 

 ascending to 5,500 ft. in Kumaon, and to 6-7000 ft. in the West 

 Himalayas. Burma, Malay Peninsula and Islands, extending 

 to China and the Philippines. 



A perennial herb or small under-shrub, with short woody base 

 and very numerous ascending, slender branches 6in.-2ft. long, 

 covered with short, adpressed hair. Leaves numerous, rather 

 close, small, i-f in., shortly stalked, linear-spathulate, acute at 

 base, obtuse truncate or retuse at apex, apiculate, glabrous and 

 minutely punctate above, silky with adpressed hair beneath, 

 without stipules. Flowers bright yellow, small, numerous, on 

 slender pedicels, secund, in lax terminal racemes. Bracts 

 minute, often on the Calyx-tube. Calyx-segments fin., tbe upper 

 linear-oblong, very obtuse, the lower linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 all very finely silky. Petals about as long as Calyx. Pod Jin., 

 oblong-ovoid, not stalked, tipped with hooked base of style, 

 glabrous, brown ; seeds 6-12. 



Use : — The root is used as a purgative. 



342. C verrucosa, Linn, h.f.b.l, ii. 77. 

 Syn. : — C. angulosa, Lamk., Roxb. 550. 



