1010 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



leafless blind root suckers which are believed to assist in respi- 

 ration in the same way as lenticels do." Sometimes the suckers 

 produce leaves and grow up into bushes. Bark greyish -brown, 

 thin. Wood brown or grey, hard, in alternate layers of pore- 

 bearing tissue and loose large-celled tissue without pores. The 

 former layer shows the large moderate-sized or small pores in 

 radial strings of 1 to 5 between the fine short medullary rays ; 

 the latter is much narrower and darker, forming belts which 

 occasionally join each other, so that the layers are clearly not 

 annual growth (Gamble). Branchlets, petiols underside of leaves 

 and inflorescence clothed with a dense white silvery tomentum of 

 very minute hairs. Leaves obovate or elliptic-obtuse, 3i by 1£., 

 base tapering, at times glabrate beneath. Flowers yellow, sessile, 

 in bracteate heads (contracted cymes) which are arranged in 

 trichotomous corymbs. Calyx Jin., minutely pubescent, divided 

 to the base into 5 imbricate sepals, corolla tubular glabrate, ^in. 

 lobes, 4 ovate acute or one lobe shortly bifid or lobes 5, subequal 

 (not rarely all forms on one bush). Stamens 4, in the throat of 

 the tube, another cells parallel. Ovary hairy, imperfectly 4-celled, 

 ovules 4, suspended from a central 4-winged placenta, style 

 short, distinct, sometimes as long as the ovary. Capsule lin., 

 compressed, dehiscing into two thick valves. Seed one, cotyledons 

 large, folded lengthwise, hypocotyl (radicle) villous ; the seed 

 often germinates before it falls (Brandis). 



Uses : — The roots possess aphrodisiac properties. The unripe 

 seeds are used as poultice to hasten suppuration of boils and 

 abscesses. It is used for small-pox in Madras. " The bark is 

 astringent" (Watt's Diet. I. 361.) 



N. 0. LABIATE. 

 968, Ocimum canum, Sims., h.f.b.i., iv. 607 ; 

 Roxb. 463 (under 0. album). 



Sans. : — Ajaka, gambhiram, tiksnamanu gandhapanirjjak. 

 Vern. : — Bharbhari (Santal) ; Kukka tulasi (Tel.) ; Ganjam- 

 korai (Tarn.) ; Nayitulasi, Ramatulasi (Kan.) ; Kattu-ramatulasi 

 (Mai.). 



