N. 0. AMARYLLIDE.E. 1279 



The resin was soluble in spirit and alkaline solutions, and gave a fine red 

 colour with strong sulphuric acid. The tannin gave a green colour with 

 ferric salts, and when determined separately amounted to 4-15 per cent, of 

 the root. Oxalate of calcium was present.— (Phartnacogra. Ind. III. 465.) 



1262. Crinam asiaticum, Linn., h.f.b.l, VI., 

 280. 



Syn. :— C. toxicarium, Roxb. 285. 

 Sans. : — Vishamandala. 



Vern. : — Chinclar, kanwal, pindar, kanmu (H.) ; Nagdamani 

 (Guz.) ; Nagdavana (Mar.) ; Naginka-patta (Dec.) ; Bara-kanur, 

 Nag-daun. bodakanod (Beng.); Vishamungil (Tam.) ; Kesar- 

 chettu, visha mungali, lakshminarayanachettu (Tel.) 



Habitat : — Cultivated in Indian gardens. 



Herbs with large coated bulbs. Bulbs 2-3in. diam., narrowed 

 into a neck, 3-1 2in. high, which is clothed with old leaf-sheaths. 

 Roots from the short root-stock or base of the bulb numerous, 

 vermiform. Leaves 3-5ft. by 5-8in., linear-lanceolate, shortly 

 acuminate, flat, narrowed into the sheathing base, coriaceous, 

 bright-green ; margins smooth. Scape from the axils of the old 

 leaves lj-3ft. up to lin. diam., compressed, solid, stout ; bracts 

 2, spathiform, 3-4in., long, oblong, acute, papery ; bracteoles fili- 

 form. Umbel 10-50-fid, somewhat bipartite, with a tuft of 

 bracteoles in the sinus; pedicels i-lin. Perianth salver-shaped ; 

 perianth tube 3-4in., cylindric, slender, green ; segments rather 

 shorter, linear, recurved or revolute ; filament very slender, free, 

 spreading, green, shorter than the perianth segments ; anthers 

 reddish, i-fin. Flowers fragrant at night. Fruit rarely pro- 

 duced, subglobose, l-2in. diam., 1-rarely 2-seeded, beaked by 

 the fleshy base of the perianth, dehiscing irregularly. (Trimen). 



Uses: — The fresh root is officinal in the Pharmacopoeia of 

 India and said to be an " emetic, in small doses nauseant, and 

 diaphoretic, analogous to squill." 



[The dried sliced roots are also an efficient emetic, but 

 require to be given in double the dose of the recent article. 

 Sir W. O'Shaughnessy remarks (Bengal Disp., p. 656) that this 

 is the only indigenous and abundant emetic plant, of which he 



