N. O. I.ABIATJE. 1019 



Vevn. : — Sarpano-charo ; Asmani galgoto ; Jangali lavandar 

 (Duk. and Guz.). 



Habitat: — Deccan Peninsula; common in the West, from 

 the Concan to Coorg. Central India, at Indore. 



A slender erect herb. Stems 2-3 ft. high, simple or branched, 

 4-angled, pubsecent. Leaves sessile or nearly so, 2-4in. long 

 and as broad as long, pinnatipartite or deeply pinnatisect ; lobes 

 linear, entire or cut or toothed, obtuse or subacute, glabrous or 

 pubescent above, pale and pubescent beneath. Spikes simple 

 or more or less branched, or sometimes subumbellate, bracts 

 pubescent, J-Jin. long, broadly ovate and strongly nerved at 

 the base, the apex ending in a long capillary awn. Calyx (in 

 fruit) grey-pubescent, £in. long, tube somewhat curved ; teeth 

 lanceolate, acute and with pennicillate tips. Corolla blue or 

 white, nearly -Jin. long, hairy outside ; tube Jin. long, slender 

 below ; upper lip -Jin. long ; middle lobe of lower lip twice as 

 long as the 2 lateral ones. Nutlets oblong-ellipsoid, mucilagin- 

 ous when moistened (Duthie). 



Uses: — Mr. Indraji, the author of " Vanaspati Shastra, " a 

 book containing valuable information on the flora of the Western 

 Presidency, India, writes that it is not known whether any- 

 body else has made use of the plant except that the villagers 

 and shepherds of the Barda Hills in Kathiawar have used it as 

 a medicine. 



In places where the plant grows serpents abound. It is sup- 

 posed to act as an antidote for poison ; the roots are rubbed 

 with water and the solution or the paste is applied over the sting 

 of wild animals. The powdered leaves are given for inhalation 

 to the person who has been stung by a serpent in order to 

 prevent him from falling into sleep. 



Colonel Kirtikar having drawn the attention of Prof. D. D. 

 Kanga, to the importance of this plant, who extracted oil from 

 its flowers, and leaves. 



According to him '" the oil obtained from the flowers was quite different in 

 all respects from that obtained from the leaves ; it differed both physically 

 and chemically ; the yield of oil was greater from the leaves than from the 

 flowers. 



