28 



SEEDS AXD PLANTS IMPORTED. 



34927 and 34928— Continued. 



34928. Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash. Vetiver. 



{Andropogon squarrosus L. f.) 



" 'The root of Khas-khas is extensiA'-ely made into the aromatic-scented 

 mats [tatties] which ai'e hung in the doorways and kept wet to cool the 

 atmosphere dming the hot season. The raw material is exported to Europe, 

 chiefly from ^ladras ports. Gildemeister and Hoffman (Volatile Oils, p. 289) 

 say "the root is of a reddish color and often contaminated with red sand; a half 

 distilled root is often found in commerce and can be recognized by its light 

 color." It seems more than probable that much of the so-called half-distilled 

 root is in reality the roots that have been used in tatties for a season and are 

 bought back by traders to be exported. The constant application of water 

 and exposure to the fierce sun might easily exhaust a large proportion of the oil 

 and bleach the roots. The roots when distilled with water yield a fragrant 

 oil known in Eiu*opean trade as A^etiver, which is used as a perfume and for 

 flavoring sherbet. It commands a high price in Em-ope, being employed in 

 many favorite scents. It is the most viscid of essential oils, and hence its 

 sparing volatility is taken advantage of in fixing other perfumes. The oil is 

 hardly, if ever, exported from India, Em^opean supplies being either locally 

 made from Indian roots or derived from Reunion. According to Piesse the 

 yield is about 10 ounces per hundredweight. Other observers have found it 

 to vary from 0.2 to 3.5 per cent. In medicine the root has been regarded by 

 Em'opean physicians as a diaphoretic and as a preservative against cholera 

 (Pereira, Mat. Med., II, pt. 1, p. 132). The grass (leaves, etc.) is suitable for 

 paper making and it is said that 60,000 to 70,000 maunds are annually available 

 in the Hissar district of the Punjab alone. When young the grass affords good 

 fodder.' {Wattes Commercial Products of India.) 



"It grows on the banks of rivers and marshes throughout the plains and lower 

 hills of India, Burma, and Ceylon, ascending to 4,000 feet. No literatui'e 

 regarding its culture is available." 



34931 to 34939. 



From Poena, India. Presented by Mr. W. Biu'ns, economic botanist, Agricul- 

 tural College, through Mr. C. V. Piper, of the Bureau of Plant Industry. Re- 

 ceived February 28, 1913. 



34931. Alysicarpus longifolius (Rottl.) Wight and Am. 



34932. Alysicarpus pubescens Law. 



34933. Alysicarpus rugosus (Willd.) DC. 



Related species of the above species of legumes are considered among the 

 best Indian grazing plants. 



34934. Andropogon annulatus Forsk. 



34935. Chrysopogon montanus Trinius. 



34936. Indigofera glandulosa Wendl. 



34937. Indigofera linifolia (L. f.) Retz. 



34938. Indigofera trifoliata Tomer. 



Distribution. — From the Himalayas, in northern India, where it ascends to 

 an elevation of 4,000 feet, eastward and southward through China and the 

 Malay Archipelago, to northern Australia. 



34939. Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. 

 {Eleusine aegyptiaca Beat.) 



