530 
OPHELIA  CHIRAYTA. 
mens  retaining  flowers,  fruit,  and  roots,  so  that  the  essential 
characteristics  of  that  nature  could  be  well  observed.  For  the 
supply  of  this  material  I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  my 
friend  Daniel  Hanbury. 
The  woody  stems  were  from  2  to  3  feet  long,  and  J  inch  thick 
at  the  lower  ends,  cylindrical,  with  knots  at  distances  of  IJ  to 
3  or  4  inches,  at  the  upper  ends  obtusely  quadrangular,  with 
wings  extending  downwards.  The  colors  varied  from  brownish- 
yellow  to  dark  purple-red.  The  branches  were  more  greenish  or 
greyish-brown.  The  root  is  sometimes  from  2  to  4  feet  long, 
and  twice  as  thick  as  the  stem.  It  forms  generally  a  simple 
tap-root,  furnished  with  somewhat  scanty  fibres.  Larger  speci- 
mens present  an  angular  bending  of  the  root,  probably  indicating 
a  growth  of  more  than  one  year.  Generally  the  stem  rises 
isolated  from  the  root,  but  in  some  instances  I  met  with  plants 
consisting  of  several  stems.  The  numerous  prolonged  branches 
resemble  in  their  arrangement  those  of  Erytlircea  Centaurium, 
and  towards  the  upper  part  they  form  a  thick  whorl.  The  inser- 
tion of  the  leaves  and  flowers  may  also  be  compared  to  that  of 
the  indigenous  Gentian  referred  to  above.  The  lower  leaves  of 
Ophelia  are  often  3  cm.  in  length  and  7  mm.  broad ;  the  upper 
ones  are  very  much  smaller.  All  of  them  are  acutely  lancet- 
shaped,  smooth-edged,  cordate  at  the  base,  and,  like  the  entire 
plant,  perfectly  glabrous.  According  to  the  size  of  the  leaves, 
they  present  3,  5,  or  7  ribs,  of  which  the  central  one  is  the 
thickest. 
The  yellow,  4-parted  corolla  is  about  12  mm.  long,  and  rather 
glandular  at  the  base.  The  calyx  is  much  shorter  than  the 
corona.  The  fruit  is  a  1-celled  capsule,  with  two  valves  at  the 
apex. 
The  flower  possesses  the  same  intense  bitter  taste  that  is  char- 
acteristic of  Chirayta.  It  is  only  the  woody  substance  of  the 
thickest  stems  that  is  not  bitter ;  this  contains  a  considerable 
pith.    Even  the  branches  present  in  sections  a  broad  ring. 
The  popular  name  of  this  drug  in  India  is  Creyat,  and  it  has 
been  applied  to  several  varieties  of  Ophelia  ;  but  it  seems  that 
Andr ogr aphis  paniculata,  Wallich  (Justicia  paniculata^  Burm.), 
an  Acanthacea,  frequent  in  Bengal,  is  principally  understood 
