168 
Indian medicinal plants. 
Habitat : — North-West Provinces, Kumaon, Sindh and the 
Deccan. 
A spreading herb, much branched, sparingly villous. 
Leaves suborbicular, lobed, crenate ; petiole 6-7 in. Peduncles 
li in., deflexed after flowering. Bracteoles lanceolate, half the 
length of the broadly lance-shaped sepals. Corolla 1 in. 
diam. Petals wedge-shaped, notched, twice the length of the 
sepals ; claw of petal bearded. Ripe carpels downy, flat or 
wrinkled. 
Parts used : —The leaves and seed. 
Use : — The leaves are mucilaginous and emollient, em- 
ployed externally in scurvy, and reckoned useful in piles 
(Honnigberger.) 
The seeds possess demulcent properties ; they are pres- 
cribed in bronchitis, cough, inflammation of the bladder, and 
haemorrhoids ; the seeds are also externally applied in skin 
diseases (Watt). 
147. M. parviflora, L'nn., h.f.b.i., i. 321. 
Vern. : — Narr, panirak, supra, sonchol, gogi sag(H. &Pb.) 
Habitat: — North-West Himalaya, Upper Bengal, Sindh, 
and the Punjab. 
A comparatively small, spreading herb, slightly downy. 
Leaves roundish, obsoletely lobed. Peduncles short, spreading 
after flowering. Bracts linear. Sepals broad, acute. Petals 
notched, scarcely exceeding the sepals. Claw of petals 
glabrous. Carpels wrinkled. 
Parts used : — The seeds and root. 
Use : — The seeds are used as a demulcent in coughs, and 
ulcers in the bladder (Watt). 
148. Sida humilis, WilJd., h.f.b.i., i. 322. 
Roxb. 516. 
® Sida veronicifolia, Lamk, is, according to Schuma, the 
oldest name for S. humilis (Trimen). 
Sanskrit : — Bhumibala ; 
