N. O. CONIFERS. 1239 



with two faint, white lines either side of the midrib beneath, 

 persistent for at least 3 years ; tip emarginate, generally with 

 two sharp cups. Cones always erect, oblong or cylindric, 2-4in. 

 long, lj-3in. diam., dark-purple when ripe ; scales closely 

 imbricate, obovate ; edge round. Seeds i-^in. long, obovoid ; 

 wing twice as long broadly obovate, truncate ; cotyledons 5-6." 

 (Kanjilal's Forest Flora of Sewalik, etc., p. 434, 2nd Edition, 

 Calcutta, 1911.) 



Uses :— The dried leaves of this plant (Talispatra, Hind, and 

 Beng., Talispatra, Sans.)* are regarded as carminative, expector- 

 ant, stomachic, tonic and astringent, and useful in phthisis, 

 asthma, bronchitis and catarrh of the bladder. The powdered 

 leaves are often given along with the juice of Adhatoda Vasica 

 and honey, and a confection called taliadya churn is prepared 

 from the talispatra along with pepper, ginger, bamboo, manna, 



* According to Ainslie and the earlier writers on Indian Economic Botany, 

 talispatrie, talisapatra (Dec. and Hind.) ; and talisha, vidara (Sans.) were the 

 vernacular names for the dried leaves and twigs of Flacourtia cataphracta, 

 the paniyala of Bengal. (Ainslie II, 407.) 



Mr. Gamble, in bis Manual of Indian Timbers, p. 17, gives talispatri as the 

 Hindi name for Flacourtia 'cataphracta, Roxb., and this is also the name 

 given by Babu T. N. Mukharji in his Amsterdam Catalogue. I have examined 

 many specimens of the talispatra of our native druggists' shops in Bengal, 

 and they have uniformly been the leaves and twigs of Abies Webbiana. Dr. 

 U. C. Dutt writes to me to say that this is also his experience, and that he is 

 of opinion that this is the talispatra of the ancient Sanskrit writers. It seems 

 difficult to account, however, for a man of Dr. Ainslie's ability mistaking the 

 ovate leaf of a Flacourtia for the needle-shaped leaves of a Pine, and having 

 few or no authors to compile from, he must have personally identified the 

 plants of which he wrote. 



It is probable that the dried leaves of several plants, according to the 

 part of India where met with, receive the name of talispatra, provided they 

 are found useful in the treatment of coughs. It seems likely, however, that 

 the leaves of Abies Webbiana are the original or true talispatra. Dr. Dymock 

 informs me that the talispatra of the Bombay shops (also called Birmi) consists 

 of the leaves and young shoots of Taxus Baccata, Linn. 



The description of the talispatra in old books of Indian medicinal plants 

 would agree very well with the leaves of a Cinnamomum, much better, in fact, 

 than with those of an Abies, Dr. Moodeen Shariff gives talishapatri as the 

 Tamil and Telegu names for C. Tamal, Nees, and also the Arabic and Persian 

 for the leaves of that plant. He may be quite right in this opinion, modern 

 usage having appropriated the name to Abies. (Watt.) 



