680 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Habitat : — Upper Bengal, at Cawnpore, Oudb, and west- 

 ward to the Punjab and Scind. 



A shrubby, hoary- pubescent plant. Branches rather slender. 

 Leaves l-2in., sessile, very coriaceous, oblong oblanceolate, 

 pungent, quite entire, strongly nerved ; pale when dry ; nerves 

 very oblique on both surfaces. Heads in compound corymbs, 

 longer than broad. Involucre contracted at the mouth, bracts 

 short, rounded ; outer bracts hoary. 



Use : — The leaves are aperient, and are used as a substitute 

 for Senna (Murray). 



641. Sphceranthus indicus, Linn, h.f.b.i., hi. 

 275. 



Syn. :— S. mollis, Roxb. 608. 

 Sans. : — Mundi ; Munditika. 



Vern. : — Mundi. Gorakhmundi (H. and Bomb.) ; Murmuria, 

 Chagul-nudie (B.) ; Kottak-karandai (Tarn.) ; Boda-tarapu (Tel.) ; 

 Miran-gani, attaka manni (Mai.). 



Habitat : — Tropical Himalaya, from Kumaon to Sikkim ; 

 Assam, Silhet, and southwards to Ceylon ; common in rice 

 fields. 



A low annual, about 1ft. high, with spreading branches, 

 long, divaricate, ascending, with toothed wings, glandular to- 

 mentose or villous. Stem cylindrical, strongly winged with 

 the sharp-toothed decurrent bases of the leaves. Leaves l-2in., 

 sessile, decurrent, oval, slightly tapering at the base, obtuse 

 or subacute, sharply spinous-serrate, very glandular, and also 

 with long white hair on both sides, glaucous-green ; compound 

 heads f-fin., ovoid, globose, on winged peduncles, heads very 

 numerous, densely packed, purple bracts, linear acuminate, 

 rather shorter than flower-heads, ciliate at the end ; achenes 

 stalked, smooth. 



Parts used : —The seeds, root, bark and flowers. 



Uses : — The oblong seeds and the root are considered by the 

 Hindus to have anthelmintic properties. 



