N. O. ERICACEAE. 733 



Bracts hairy. Calyx-lobes ^in., wide, ovate or very obscure. 

 Corolla campanulate, l-ljin. by f-lin. Lobes 5, often unequal. 

 Stamens 10, alternately longer. Ovary woolly, 7-9-celled. Cap- 

 sule lin, long, cylindric, curved, longitudinally ribbed. Seeds 

 ellipsoid. Testa scarcely lax, except produced at the end. 



Use: — The young leaves are poisonous. They are alse 

 medicinal, and applied to the forehead for headache Dr. 

 Stewart). 



The honey of the wild bee is said, in Sikkim, to be poison- 

 ous at the flowering time of this species (Watt.) 



The flowers which are sour to taste are eaten and made into 

 a preserve, says Kanjilal. 



707. R. campanulatum, Don., h.f.b.i,, hi. 466. 



Vern. : — Gaggar (Kashmir); Chimul (Kumaun) ; Sarngar, 

 shinwala, shargar, simrung (Himalayan names) ; Cherialu 

 (Nepal). 



Habitat : — Alpine Himalaya, from Kashmir to Bhotan. 



A moderate-sized, evergreen shrub, 6-1 6ft , with thin grey 

 bark. Leaves 3-5in. long, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, rounded at 

 both ends, crowded at the ends of the branches, mucronate, coriace- 

 ous, glabours and finely reticulate above, with a dense cinnamon 

 colour tomentum, concealing the nerves beneath ; midrib promi- 

 nent. Flowers large and showy, whitish pink, purple or lilac, 

 in lax terminal corymbs ; pedicels as long as Corolla-tube ; 

 bracts lin., broad — oblong, silky. Calyx-teeth broadly triangular, 

 very small, scarcely j^in. Corolla campanulate, 1-1 J by |-lin. ; 

 lobes 5. Stamens 10. Ovary 5-9-celled, glabrous. Style persis- 

 tent. Capsules cylindrical, seeds linear-oblong, compressed. 



Uses:— The leaves are poisonous to goats. Mixed with to- 

 bacco, it is made into a medicinal snuff, useful in colds and 

 hemicrania. They are also used in chronic rheumatism, syphi- 

 lis and sciatica. The dried twigs and wood are used in Nepal 

 as a medicine in phthisis and chronic fevers, (Watt). 



708. R. lepidotum, Wall, h.f.b.i., hi. 471. 



Vern. : — Tsaluma, tsuma (Bhutia) ; Talis fur (Northern 

 Ind.) ; Taliori (Simla). 



