Sept. t, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
DR. TRIM EN'S HANDBOOK TO THE 
FLORA. OF CEYLON :— FART II. 
We now fulfil our promise of giving a eerlain 
number of extracts from the Beoond part of this 
valuable work indioativo of its general interest 
and usefulness. We have followed no special 
plan in making these selections, and we have 
omitted the soientifio referenoes and the full 
detailed technical descriptions, only giving the 
popular remarks appended in the case of each 
plant. Thess will be found, by our planting r< aders 
especially, and by all who are interested ia the 
vegetation around them, to be bo'h instructive 
and profitable. We quote some examples as fol- 
lows:— 
Crotalar'A Walkeri, Am. in Act. Acad. Nat. Cur. 
xviii. 328 (183G.) Plate xxri. 
Montane zme, especially at the higher elevations ; 
rather oummon, scrambling over bushes like a 
climber. Fi. all the year, especially in December and 
January; bright golden yellow. 
Eodenrc (?) 
A very ornamental plant, well worUi cultivation. 
Diff. rs from (C. seviperjlorens, Vent. C. Wallichiana, 
W. an! A.) of the Nilgin H i's ia its much less 
pube cent leaves and iufloreseenoe, and its much 
BmalUr stipule', but possibly only a variety. C. 
Wallichiana is figured in Wight, 1c. t. 982. A dwarf 
varuty ocours on the Horton Plains patanas, with 
*hcrt prostrate s'ems, small le»ve?, J— f in. long, and 
• smaller pods less inflated at the ends. 
Crotalaria Juncea, L. Sp. PI. 714 (1753). Hana, S. 
Lo* country, principally in the dry regioD ; rather 
oornmoo. Doubtfully i.ative in the moist region. Fl. 
Auu.-Oct.; brilliant jellow. 
Fouud in E. Tropics generally but much cultivated. 
This affords the 8 n or Sun Hemp of commerce ; it 
in grown in small quantity by tbe Sinhalese as about 
Chiiaw, and by the Tamils at Jatfua. It is generally 
known heie simply as 'Hemp.' 
C. fulva, R .xb., is given for Ceylon in Fl. B. Ind. 
on the faith of specimen! in Kew Herbarium 
(Gardner, 199, and G. Thomson from Kandy). They 
may have been cultivated in the Gardens. 
Indigofera Tinctoria, L. Sp. PL 751 (1753). 
Nil-awari, S. 
Low country, by roadsides and waste places ; rather 
common, esp cial.y in the dry region, but very doubt- 
fu'ly indig nous. Fl. all the year ; pick, standard 
gr< en outsi 'e 
Found also in India and Tropical Africa, but scarcely 
kuown ae a wild plant anywhere, unless in West Trop. 
A'rica. 
This is the Indigo plant, so largely cultivated in 
India. Here there is uo cuitivat on, but the natives 
of Jaff a uso the leaves of the wild plant in ob- 
taining a black dye for cloth. 
/. Anil, L, is" occasionally met with as a roadside 
weed. It is nno'.her iridigo-p:o Jucing species, and is 
generally believed to be of American origin. 
JEtchynomene Aapera, L. Sp. PI. 713 (1753). 
Maha-d'iya-siyambala, S. Attuneddi, T. 
Dry region, in tank and pad ly fields, common. Fl. 
De ember ; }el'ow. 
Also in India, Malaya, and Trop. Afr'ca. 
This is remarkable for the light, spongy character 
of the tissue of the stem (which in large planls 
attaiua 3 in. in diameter), whence it is oltfn called 
the ' pith-plant ' by the Euglibh. It is the ' Shola' 
of Bengal, aud from elioes of tho stem the we!l-kr.owa 
pith-hats are made. A mauul'acture of similar hats 
was started in 1885 in the jail at Ilambautota, in 
the neighbourhood of wbicu place the plant is 
plentiful. 
Abrus Preeatorius, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 472 (1767). 
Olinduwel, S, Kuntumani, T. 
Low country; common, especially in the dry region. 
Fl. Feb. ; pale violet. 
Every Tropica' coun'ry. 
The pretty aoarlot and black seeds are well knowr, 
and are used as wcigh's by jeweller- 1 . The flowa.e 
are sometimes white when the seeds are of the same 
colour; there is aleo a form with the feeds wholly 
black. 
The root is the well-known 'Indian Liquorice,' 
Gfycyrrhiza indica of 'he older writers, a r d ia used 
both internally anl externally in native inediciiue. The 
seeds are an acrid poison unless cooked. 
Cassia Auriculata, L. Sp. PI. 379 (1753). Baoawarn, 
S. Avarsi, T. [Plate xxxiii.] 
Low country, e ; p cia'ly in the dry region and near 
the co-st: ootnm^n ; locally gregarious and abundant, 
Fl. Feb., March; bright yellow. 
Also ia Peninsular India. 
A great ornament to the bar: en coast regions. 
The leaves of this form 1 Oeylou Tia' or ' Matsra 
Tea,' aid the infusion is drunk by the nativts ou 
several parts of the or as!; wtun properly cured, rolkd, 
end dried, it is very like truet'.aiu appearance, and 
somewhat aromatic,* but slightly purgative. The bark 
is rich in tannin, an ! is largely employed for tanning 
lea'her in Colombo. 
Saraca indica, L. Hant. 98 (1767). Diya-ratma!, 
DU a-ratemhala S. 
By streams in forests in the low country, especially 
in the drier districts rather common. Fl. Jan,-Marcb 
&c; pale orange-scarlet; filaments purp'e, auto, black! 
Also in India and Malaya. 
The flowers are very 6weet-;cented, especially in 
the evening; they are at first yellow, and become 
orange, aud finally red, and are profusely produced 
for many months. The young leaves are pendulous 
aad coloured. The plant is much cultivated for its 
beauty and sweet scent. Wood light, pile red, rather 
soft. 
Tamarindus indica, L., Siyambali, S., Puli, T., the 
Tamarind is a very commonly planted trte, especially 
iu the dry districts. There are specimens in 
Hermann's Herb., but it ia nowhere wild here. In 
the dry region of the isUnd it is very conspicuous 
every village ^ having several aud of en maguificent 
specimens. Trees are oceasioca'ly found apparently 
v.id in the jungle, but always ou the site of aban- 
doned villages. 
Acacia Planifrons, W. and A. Prod. 276 (WM^ 
Odai, Udai, T. [Plate xxxv.J J ' 
Dry region; very rare;. Confined to the island of 
Mannar (aud a ve-y smell part of the mainland 
opposite), where it is extremely abundant. Fl. Oct.- 
Maroh ; pale creamy-white. 
Also in S. India and iu Bamai<s:-ram Islaud. 
This is the ' Umbrella Tree' of the Eng:ish ; t and 
vary cuarac'enstio of Mannar, whore it composes 
almost the whole forest, and from the horizontal 
arrange rent of the branches aivesi; a very psca'iar 
aspect. The trees, when covered in Feb. with sheets 
of white blossom, look like old hawthorn trees. It is 
cultivated in a few Colombo gardens for ornament 
and has occasionally appeared on the there there no 
doubt brought with ballast from Tuticoriu, where it 
is al-o abundant. 
The wood is very hard and heavy, pa !o yellow, and 
when fresh cut has a faint al.iaceous sm-ll It i 3 
much used for firewood, and there is a large export 
frem Mannar to S. India (Tuticorn and Negapatam) 
amounting in 1S90 to 3,446.422 logs, value B6S °ii 
(as I am informed by Mr. M. S. Crawford) 
The pods are largely used as food tor sheep, goats 
atd cattlu in tbe dry season. 
The description under this nsmo in FI. B Ind is 
partly made up from some other species 
Uubus lasiocarpu, Sra. iuK e»' Cyolop xxi 1«15) 
16 V O r ?5Sf- tab "' TtW ' l '°' R lencocar P us . Arn. Pag. 
» A sample cured in Jaffna, where it is died 
So.ga-S-eve.oy,' gave on analysis (to Mr. A C Dironl 
3-71 per ce at of an alka'oii L\ 16-17 of other S- 
genous substances, with 4P14 per cent, of gum 
tannin, and saccharine matters. 
f The Rev. J. Cordiner, who visited M moor in 1804 
gives an account of the 'Uuobrelh Tree' in his 
Ceylon, vol. u.p p. 8 aud 32, 
