1010 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
leafless blind root suckers which are believed to assist in respi- 
ration in the same way as lenticels do.” Sometimes the suckers 
produce leaves and grow up into bushes. Bark greyish-brown, 
thin. Wood brown or grey, hard, in alternate layers of pore- 
bearing tissue and loose large-celled tissue without pores. The 
former layer shows the large moderate-sized or small pores in 
radial strings of 1 to 5 between the fine short medullary rays ; 
the latter is much narrower and darker, forming belts which 
occasionally join each other, so that the layers. are clearly not 
annual growth (Gamble). Branchlets, petiols underside of leaves 
and inflorescence clothed with a dense white' silvery tomentum of 
very minute hairs. Leaves obovate or elliptic-obtuse, 34 by ly., 
base tapering, at times glabrate beneath. Flowers yellow, sessile, 
in bracteate heads (contracted cymes) which are arranged in 
trichotomous corymbs. Calyx |in., minutely pubescent, divided 
to the base into 5 imbricate sepals, corolla tubular glabrate, £in. 
lobes, 4 ovate acute or one lobe shortly bifid or lobes 5, subequal 
(not rarely all forms on one bush). Stamens 4, in the throat of 
the tube, another cells parallel. Ovary hairy, imperfectly 4-celled, 
ovules 4, suspended from a central 4-winged placenta, style 
short, distinct, sometimes as long as the ovary. Capsule lin., 
compressed, dehiscing into two thick valves. Seed one, cotyledons 
large, folded lengthwise, hypocotyl (radicle) villous ; the seed 
often germinates before it falls (Brandis). 
Uses : — The roots possess aphrodisiac properties. The unripe 
seeds are used as poultice to hasten suppuration of boils and 
abscesses. It is used for small-pox in Madras. “ The bark is 
astringent” (Watt’s Diet. I. 361.) 
N. 0. LABIATiE. 
968. Ocimum canum, Sims., h.f.b.i., iv. 607; 
Roxb. 463 (under 0. album). 
Sans. : — A] aka, gambhiram, tiksnamanu gandhapanirjjak. 
Vern. : — Bbarbhari (Santal) ; Kukka tulasi (Tel.); Ganjam- 
korai(Tam.); Nayitulasi, Ramatulasi (Kan.) ; Kattu-ramatulasi 
(Mai.). 
