N. 0. SAMYDAGEiE. Old 



521. 0. tomentosa, Roxb : h.f.b.l, ii. 593, Roxb, 



377. 



Syn. :»-C. elliptica, Willd. 



Vern. : — Chilla, chilara, bairi, bhari (H.) ; Maun (Manbhum) ; 

 Rore (Kol.) ; Chorcho (Santa! .) ; Munkuru-kuri (Mal.) : ; Girari 

 (Uriya) ; Thundri (Gond.) ; Khesa (Kurku.) ; Men, wasa, gam- 

 gudu (Tel.) ; Lainja, massei, karei (Mar.). 



Habitat : — Common throughout India. 



A small deciduous tree, attaining 25ft. Bark fin. thick, 

 brittle, exfoliating in more or less square flakes. Wood yel- 

 lowish-white, moderately hard, rough, close-grained (Gamble). 

 Branches spreading, all parts bitter. Branchlets tomentose or 

 nearly glabrous. Stipules sma 11, soon falling off. Leave 

 obscurely serrate, elliptic-oblong, narrowed towards the apex 

 or lanceolate, sometimes entire, not acuminate, base acute or 

 rounded, 3-7 by lj~3in., tomentose beneath ; midrib and 

 petiole, when full grown, hairy ; petiole i-fin. long, translucent 

 glands round or broad, elliptic. Flowers small, tomentose, 

 fin. long, densely clustered on scanty axillary tubercles, bisexual, 

 regular, green-yellow, shortly stalked. Calyx free, persistent, to- 

 mentose, 5-parted, lobes orbicular, concave. Petals 0. Stamens 

 8, alternating with short ciliate staminodes ; " Stamens 7-10 

 (sometimes 12, Benth.)," says C. B. Clarke; filaments free, 

 anthers 2-celled. Ovary superior, 1-celled ; style very short, 

 stigma capitate; ovules numerous. Capsule more or less 

 succulent, ovoid, fin. long, 6-ribbed, opening by valves ; 

 seeds about 8 in each, valve ovoid, enveloped in a fleshy red 

 aril. 



Use:— The fruit is used to poison fish (Stewart). The 

 bark is bitter and used as an adulterant for Mallotus Phillip- 

 pinensis (kamela) powder. The bark is applied externally in 

 dropsy (Rev. Campbell, Santal.). 



The leaves are used in medicated baths, and the pulp of 

 the fruit is a very useful diuretic (Lindley). 



