N. 0. LEGUMINOSiE. 491 



437. Neptunia oleracea, Lour., h.f.b.l, ii. 285, 

 Roxb. 420. 



Vern : — Pani-najak ; pani-lajak (B.); Laj-alu (Patna) ; Pani- 

 lajak (Bomb.) ; Sunday-kiray (Tam.) ; Niru-tal-vapu, nidrayung 

 (Tel.j ; Nitti-todda-vaddi (Malay.). 



Habitat : — In tanks, throughout the greater part of India. 



An annual herb, without prickles, stout, wide-creeping, rarely 

 throwing out suberect branches ; producing copious fibrous 

 rootlets from the same nodes that bear the leaves and pendun- 

 cles. Stems almost entirely prostrate. Leaves bipinnate, with 

 persistent stipules and numerous small strap-shaped, sensitve, 

 membranous leaflets. Pinnae 4-6, 2-3in. long. Rachis glandless ; 

 leaflets glabrous, obtuse, 16-30, J-|in. long. Peduncles ascend- 

 ing? J-lft. ; bracts small ovate, sub-obtuse. Sterile flowers 

 numerous. Staminodes i-iin,, strap-shaped, yellow. Corolla 

 j^in. Pod oblique, oblong, i-lin. long, rostrate, dry, soon dehis- 

 cing by the upper suture, 6-10-seeded. 



Use : — Used as refrigerant and astringent (Irvine.) 



438. Entada scandens, Bth., h.f.b.l, ii. 287. 

 Syn. : — Mimosa scandens, Linn., Roxb. 420. 



Vern. :— Gila-gach (B.); Garbi, kardal, khairi (B.); Garambi, 

 gardul (Bomb.) ; Geredi (Uriya) ; Pangra (Nepal; ; Taktokhejem 

 (Lepcha) ; Parinkaka-vully (Mai.). 



The seeds ; Pitpapra (^Bornb.). 



Habitat:— Central and Eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Sikkim, 

 and Western Peninsula. 



A very large, woody climber, stems angled and much 

 twisted spirally. Dark-brown, rough. Wood dark brown 

 when dry, in alternate layers of woody and bark tissue. Bran- 

 dis describes the wood structure more accurately thus :— " The 

 wood to a great extent consists of thin walled parenchyma, in 

 which are embedded longitudinal strands of vessels, sieve-tubes, 

 and wood fibres." Leaves tripinnate, common petioles ending 

 in long, woody, bifid tendrils ; pinnas stalked opposite, two 



