N. O. LILIACEiE. 1297 



in a terminal raceme, 6-1 2in. long. Perianth |-in. long, bell- 

 shaped*, 6-parted ; segments white, with 3 green ribs in the 

 centre ; lip rounded. Stamens 6 at base of segments and 

 shorter. Ovary 3 celled, 3-grooved. Style shorter than the 

 ovary, straight, tapering downward, ovules several in each cell. 

 Capsule J-f in., oblong, 3-valved ; cells 6-9 seeded. Seeds many, 

 flat, black, I'm. diam. 



Uses : — The Hindus use the bulb in the preparation oichdndi- 

 bhasma or " ashes of silver," which they employ medicinally. 

 "Indian Mahomedan writers evidently consider the Indian squill 

 as identical in medicinal properties with the squill of the Greeks ; 

 they prescribe it in the paralytic affections, also as an expec- 

 torant, digestive, diuretic, deobstruent and emmenagogue, in 

 many diseases, more especially in asthma, dropsy, rheumatism, 

 calculous affections, leprosy and skin diseases." (Dymock). 

 European writers vary much in their opinions regarding the 

 medicinal properties of the drug. Ainslie states that it " is 

 chiefly employed by farriers for horses in cases of strangury and 

 fever." Roxburgh writes that the bulb is quite as nauseous and 

 bitter as that of the officinal squill ; while O'Shaughnessy 

 remarks that bulbs examined by him were inodorous, nearly 

 tasteless, and devoid of any medicinal property. Bidie, Atkinson, 

 U. C. Dutt, K. L, De, Dymock and others confirm the statement 

 that the drug is an efficient substitute for Urginea Scilla. 

 Moodeen Sheriff explains the discrepancy by stating that, when 

 young and small, not exceeding a lime in size, it acts as a diuretic, 

 in doses of 10-20 grains, even more powerfully than the officinal 



* Mr. H. H. Haines, I.F.S., writes in the Indian Forester for July, 1917 

 p. 337 :- 



In the Flora of British India, the perianth is described as campanulate, 

 and this character is given in other works I have consulted including, I regret 

 to say, my own Flora of Chota Nagpur, as, at that time, I had not observed 

 the plant late of an evening. The description of the flowers of Scilla is given 

 as stellate or campanulate, and although that description was not intended to 

 mean in one and the same species, it really does apply to some species of 

 both Scilla and Urginea. If one walks along a fire-line on a moonlight night, 

 all the flowers of Urginea indica, whose night out it is— they only get one 

 each in their lives —will be found wide open, stellately spreading and fragrant. 

 It is then a very graceful pretty plant. Next morning all the flowers are 

 campanulate, in which condition they have always been described. 

 1«3 



