688 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



of the urine in closes of 180 grains mixed with salt (Dr. Peters, 

 in Watt's Dictionary). 



650. Wedelia calendulaeea, Lees, h.f.b.l, in 306. 



Syn. : — Verbesina calendulacea, Linn; Roxb. 606. 



Sans. : — Pita-bhringi ; Bhringaraja. 



Vem.\ — Bangra, Kesaraja (B.) ; Bhanra (H) ; Pivala bhan- 

 gra (Bomb.) ; Pivalamaka (Mar.). 



Habitat : — In wet places, Assam, Silhet, and the Eastern 

 and Western Peninsulas. 



A scentless, tasteless perennial herb. Stem short, 6-18in., 

 procumbent at base and rooting at the nodes, then ascending, 

 cylindrical, slightly rough, with adpressed hair. Leaves l-3in., 

 variable in breadth, opposite, nearly sessile, oblong, strap-shaped, 

 or oblong-oval, tapering to base, acute, sparingly and shallowly 

 serrate or entire, slightly rough with adpressed, rigid, white hair 

 on both sides. Heads yellow, solitary, few, on very long, erect 

 axillary (apparently terminal) peduncles, about fin. diam. Bracts 

 few, 5-8, fin., leafy oblong, obtuse, inner 2 or 3 much smaller. 

 Receptacle flat, with a linear, acute, hyaline, ciliate bractlet to 

 each flower. Ray-flowers 8-12, spreading, about equalling bracts, 

 broad, deeply 2-3ft. toothed ; disk-flowers about 20, short, narrow- 

 ed acute, recurved. Achene nearly cylindric, pubescent, shorter 

 than bractlet, crowned with a shallow ring of short, scarious, 

 ciliate scales (Trimen). 



Uses : — The leaves are used in dyeing grey hair and in pro- 

 moting the growth of hair. They are considered tonic, alter- 

 ative and useful in cough, cephalalgia, skin diseases and 

 alopecia. The juice of the leaves is much used as a snuff in 

 cephalalgia. (Dutt). The seeds, flowers, as well as the leaves, 

 are used in decoction, in the quantity of half a teacupful twice 

 daily, as deobstruent (Ainslie). 



In decoction, the plant is used in uterine haemorrhage and 

 menorrhagia (S. Arjun). 



