1336 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



snakes, at the same time given inwardly about the size of a field 

 bean. It is certainly a most powerful stimulant, in proper 

 hands it might no doubt be used to great advantage in the 

 core of several disorders. (Roxburgh). Dr. Waring remarks 

 that any good effect which could be expected from it, may, 

 however, be more readily obtained from a mustard poultice. 

 The acrid principle is very volatile ; and by the application 

 of heat, or by simple drying, the root becomes innocuous or 

 even wholesome as articles of diet (Ph. Ind.). As an article of 

 food, it relaxes the bowels and thereby relieves haemorrhoids. 

 The wild plant is used as a medicine for plies (T. R. Moodeliar). 



1313. Amorphophalius campanulatus, Blume, 

 H.F.B.I., vi. 513. 



Syn. : — Arum Campanulatum, Roxb. 629. 



Sans. : — Arsaghna ; Kanda. 



Vern. : — Jangli-suran, Zamin-kand (H.) ; 01 (B.) ; Suran 

 (Mar.) ; Karu-naik-kizhangu, or karuna-kalang (Tarn.) ; Kanda- 

 godda, poti-konda, manchik-anda (Tel.). 



Habitat : — Cultivated throughout India. 



A perennial stemless herb, with tuberous roots, often ljft. 

 in circumference, flowering before leafing every year from the 

 previous year's tuber. The tuber is really and truly an under- 

 ground stem which bears only one spathe-included spadix, after 

 the maturation of which what looks like a stem above-ground 

 is merely the petiole radically developed from the depressed 

 portion of the globose tuber side by side with the spathe and 

 spadix. The tuber has sometimes many bulbils, each of which 

 gives forth no spathe nor spadix, but only a petiole with leaves. 

 Petiole of the main bulb which has flowered already varies in 

 height from l|-2Jft. in cultivated varieties, often 4ft. 2-4in. 

 thick, rough, clouded dark and light-green, cylindric, softly 

 fleshy, succulent. Leaf formed of the three radiating horizontal 

 divisions of the petiole, l-3ft. broad. The divisions are di- 

 chotomous, pinnatisect, with a deep channel on the ventral 

 aspect, roundish on the dorsal aspect, slightly scabrous, There 



