257 



Cassia alata, Linn. ; Fl. Trop. Afr. II. p. 275. 



III. — Rumpf, Amb. vii. t. 18 ; Jacq. Obs. t. 45, f. 2 (C. herpetica) ; 

 Rchb. Mag. Bot. t. 84 ; Desc. Ant, vi. t. 443 ; Blanco, Fl. Filip. t. 124 ; 

 Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. Or. i. t. 253 ; Ralph, Ic. Carp. t. 18, f. 2 ; Christy 

 New Comm. PL & Drugs, No. 11, 1889, p. 36 ; Greshoff, Nutt, Ind. PI. 

 t, 12 ; Pobeguin, F], Guin. Franc, tt. 48 and 58. 



Vernac. names. — Nga-Hire (Ivory Coast, De Wildeman) ; Dad- 

 marden [=ringworm killer (India, Watt)']. Ringworm shrub. 



Abeokuta. Widely spread in the tropics of both hemispheres. 



The leaves rubbed up into a thin paste and mixed with vaseline 

 are an effective remedy for ringworm (Watt, Comm. Prod. India, 

 p. 287), or the parts affected may be rubbed with the leaves 

 moistened with water or an acetic extract of the leaves may be 

 used (Year Book Pharm. 1887, p. 175). The leaves are purgative, 

 used as senna, and said by Hindoo doctors to cure all poisonous 

 bites (Moloney, For. W. Afr. p. 331 ; Dymock, Veg. Mat. Med. p. 217.) 

 On the Ivory Coast the fresh leaves are bruised and used to cure 

 skin disease (Heckel, Pharm. Journ. [4] xi. 1900, p. 439). 



Ref. — "Treatment of Ringworm by leaves of Cassia alata" 



Foulis, in Pharm. Journ. [3], vii. 1877, p. 618. " Cassia alata" 



in Diet. Econ. Prod. India, Watt. ii. 1889, pp. 211-212." " Cassia 



alata" Amades, in New Comm. PI. & Drugs, Christy, Xo. 11, 



pp. 36-37 (Christy & Co., London, 1889). "Cassia "alata," in 



Nuttige Indische Planten, Greshoff, pp. 43-45 (J. H. De Bussy, 



Amsterdam, 1894). " Cassia alata" in Les PI. Utile du Congo, 



De Wildeman, Art. xiv. 1903 : " Les Cassia du Congo," pp. 166-167. 



Cassia Fistula, Linn. Sp. PI. (1753) p. 377. 



A middle-sized erect tree, glabrous in all its parts. Leaves a 

 foot or more long ; leaflets 8-16, large, 2-6 in. long, ovate, distinctly 

 stalked, usually acute, rigidly subcoriaceous, pale green, strongly 

 veined. Flowers in lax racemes, a foot or so long ; pedicels spreading, 

 1^-2 in. long ; calyx J— J in., glabrous, caducous. Petals obovate, 

 shortly clawed, f-1 in. long, bright yellow, veined. Pod 1-2 ft. long, 

 terete, about an inch in diameter. Seeds compressed, parallel with 

 the dissepiments (Fl. Br. India, ii. p. 261). 



III. — Commelin, Hort. Med. Amstel. i. 1. 110 ; Rheede, Hort. Mai. i. t. 

 22 (Conna) ; Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. PI. ii. t. 147 ; Lam. Encycl. t. 332 

 (pods) ; Plenck Ic. iv. t. 327 ; Buchoz, Herb. CoL Aineriq. t. 89 ; 

 Desc. Ant. ii. t. 125 ; Hayne, Darst. Beschr. Gewache, ix. t. 39 ; Tuss. 

 Ant, iv. t. 2 ; Nees von Esenbeck, Plant. Medic. Diisseld. t. 344 

 (Gathartocarpus Fistula) ; Woodville, Med. Bot. iii. t. 160; Steph. & 

 Ch. Med. Bot. t, 155 ; Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. or. i. t. 269 (O. rhomb if alia); 

 Burnett, PI. Util. ii. t. 55b ; Baillon, Hist. PI. ii. f. 103 (fl. and fr. 

 'branch), f. 104 (pod), f. 105 (pod, long, section) ; Bentl. & Trimen, 

 Med. PI t. 87 ; Yidal, Fl. For. Filip. t, 42 E (pod) ; Good, Fam. Flor. 

 Ii. t. 77. 



Vernac. names. — Cafia fistula (Guam, Philippines, Mexico, 

 Safford) ; Canapistola (Philippines, Safford) ; Amaltash or Amaltas 

 (India, Mus. Kew) ; Gnooshway, Ngu (Burma, Mus. Kew) ; Tanggoeli 

 (Java, Treub). — Golden Shower; Pudding Pipe Tree; Indian 

 Laburnum ; Purging Fistula ; Purging Cassia. 



Native of India, Ceylon, Java, Philippines, &c, and widely 

 distributed in the Tropics, including Tropical Africa. 



The pulp of the fruit is a safe and useful purgative and is one of 



16583 F 



