﻿OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 31 , 1914. 55 



39636 to 39660— Continued. 



are employed in South India for dyeing a ' delicate yellow lake.' In 

 conjunction with myrobolans and sappan wood they produce' a deep red 

 tinge much used for dyeing grass mats and cloth. The leaves are 

 thought by the natives to be cooling and astringent, but though occa- 

 sionally given internally they are chiefly employed as a lotion in con- 

 junctivitis. The plant flowers in the beginning of hot weather and pro- 

 duces astringent, pulpy berries which when ripe are eaten by the natives. 

 The wood is hard, close grained, durable, and valuable for many pur- 

 poses, but very difficult to work. The shrub is very handsome when 

 covered with its dense bloom of blue flowers, and well worth cultivating 

 as an ornamental plant." (Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products 

 of India.) 



39650. Morus laevigata Wallich. Moraceae. Mulberry. 

 "A medium-sized tree, wild and cultivated in the tropical and subtrop- 

 ical Himalayas from the Indus to Assam up to 4,000 feet. The flowers 

 appear in the cold weather and the long cylindrical yellowish white or 

 pale-purple fruit ripens from March to May and is eaten by some, though 

 insipidly sweet and of little value. The wood is yellow, with darker 

 streaks of various colors, and is used for boat oars and furniture." 

 (Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products of India.) 



39651. Osbeckia stellata Don. Melastomacese. 



See S. P. I. No. 39126 for previous introduction and description. 



39652. Pandanus furcatus Roxb. Pandanaceae. 



"A palmlike tree of northern and eastern Bengal, western India, and 

 Burma. The leaves are used in Burma for making mats, and accord- 

 ing to some authorities the leaves of this species are sewn together to 

 make sails for boats. The outer wood is moderately hard, containing 

 satiny, vascular bundles; inner wood soft and spongy; used in Burma 

 for making floats for fishing nets." (Watt, Dictionary of the Economic 

 Products of India.) 



39653. Phlogacanthxjs thyrsiflorus (Roxb.) Nees. Acanthaceae. 



"A large evergreen shrub found in the sub-Himalayan tract from 

 Kumaon to Assam, the Khasi Hills, and Burma. It is very handsome, 

 with long spikes of flame-colored flowers. The wood is white, moderately 

 hard, and close grained. Often cultivated." (Watt, Dictionary of the 

 Economic Products of India.) 



39654. Phoenix otjseleyana Griffith. Phcenicacese. Palm. 

 See S. P. I. No. 21753 for previous introduction. 



39655. Randia uliginosa (Retz.) Poir. Rubiaceae. 



"A small deciduous tree of eastern, central, and southern India, but 

 not commonly found in the more northern parts of the Peninsula. The 

 fruit is used in dyeing as a color intensifier and also in medicine as a 

 remedy for diarrhea and dysentery. The fruit when boiled or roasted 

 is eaten by the natives as a vegetable, either alone or in curries. The 

 leaves are boiled and eaten as greens and also serve as fodder for cattle. 

 The wood is whitish gray, closely grained, and hard, but not used for 

 any special purpose. The unripe fruits are used as a fish poison." 

 (Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products of India.) 



