Uorresponi lence. 266 [SKPT. 1906 



FEBRIFUGE PLANTS. 



SlR,— With reference to the enquiry by your correspondent - Mr. G. E. 

 Weerakoon— in your issue for July, 1906, p. 113, I have the pleasure to inform him 

 through the medium of your esteemed journal as follows :— 



I would premise by calling Mr. Weerakoon's attention to the well-known 

 aphorism that where the identification of a plant is concerned, it is quite unsafe to 

 entirely rely upon its vernacular names, as it is not seldom the case, that in India 

 one and the same vernacular name is applied to more than one plant. In this con- 

 nection, for example, we have both Andrographis paniculata, Nees., and Swertia 

 chirata, Ham., called by the same Sanskrit name Chunimba. 



Your correspondent by the said vernacular name (Chu-nimba) presumably 

 refers to Andrographis paniculata— which is a shrub of the Natural order 

 Acanthacese, very bitter in taste, and used not only as a febrifuge, but also as a 

 stomachic, tonic, alterative, &c. It is well-known in Bengal as a very useful medicine 

 for infants to remove constipation, bring appetite and to help the liver to perform 

 its functions. Whereas Gephcelis Ipecacuanha, Rich., which your correspondent 

 seems to have confused with Andrographis paniculata, belongs to the Natural order 

 Rubiacese, the roots of which yield medicines used as an emetic, expectorant, 

 diaphoretic, alterative, &c. 



There is no vernacular name for Cephcelis Ipecacuanha known to me, which 

 could even approximately serve as a guide to Mr. Weerakoon in identifying the 

 plant. However, I think I cannot do better than refer your correspondent to 

 Hooker's Flora of British India, Vol. III., p. 178, for the description of the plant. 



Yours faithfully, 



K. BANERJEE. 

 Office of the Director of Agriculture, Punjab, 



Lahore, India. 



16th August, 1906. 



LEMONGRASS OIL EXTRACTION. 



Dear Sir,— I shall be glad to have the benefit of your advice as to the 

 extraction of Lemougrass oil. I have, no doubt, derived much useful knowledge 

 on the subject from the back issues of the Tropical Agriculturist ; but I am sorry 

 to say that the extraction of the oil by aqueous distillation in copper stills has 

 not been properly understood by me. 



A detailed account of the copper still, and the method of extraction thereby, 

 will greatly oblige. 



Yours faithfully, 



A. PAUDE. 



Zeyawadi, Burma, August 12th, 1906. 



[A Circular will very shortly be published from the Botanic Gardens on this 

 subject.— Ed.] 



ADHATODA VASICA AS A GREEN MANURE. 



Dear Sir, — On a recent visit to the North I was greatly struck with the 

 value placed by cultivators on Adhatoda vasica as a green manure for tobacco, 

 onions, etc. A man's load fetches 75 cents and upwards, and the plants, which 

 (as its Tamil name "Adathodai" implies) 'goats will not touch,' are carefully 

 conserved for fertilizing purposes. 



