Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/368

Habitat. :— Behar, Bengal and Travancore.

A rather much-branched, leafy shrub, black or brown when dry. Branches often very slender, terete or angled and grooved, opposite and whorled ; branchlets angular. Leaves rarely more than one inch, often unequal, petioled ; from obovate to elliptic-oblong and linear-oblong, obtuse, 3-5-nerved, base narrowed, or rounded. Flowers minute, under 1/10in. long, rarely more than 5, in sessile or peduncled clusters, monœious. Perianth usually 3-cleft, Perianth-lobes deciduous. Fruit of the size of a pea, smooth (Kurz), " purple," copiously minutely dotted (W. and A).

Use. — In Chutia Nagpur, this plant is largely used medicinally, and is believed to derive some particular property from the tree on which it is found. It is employed in as many different diseases as the trees on which it is found. (Campbell.)

Vern.: — Pan, pûdû (H.) ; Katkom janga (Santal) ; Hurchu (Nepal) ; Patha (Banda) ; Banda (C. P.) ; Harmore (Thana)

Habitat: — Sub-tropical Himalaya, from Chamba to Sikkim, also Assam, Mishmi, Khasia mountains, southwards to Travancore.

A much-branched, leafless, green parasitic shrub, forming pendulous tufts Gin. to 3ft. long ; greenish-yellow when dry. Main stem terete. Branches flat, longitudinally striate, and furrowed, contracted at the nodes, internodes, widening upwards, l-2in. long. Flowers sessile, in sessile, 3-flowered spikes ; two or several spikes at a joint. Perianlh of male flowers reflexed. Female flowers 2-bracteolate, the perianth-lobes erect, triangular. Fruit sub-globose, 1/6in. long, yellow when ripe, sessile, in clusters of 4-5 at the nodes, each fruit supported by a shallow cup-shaped bract. Found on Cordia vestita, Cornus capitata, Pyrus, albizzia stipulate, Albizzia amara (Mahableshwar, Pratapgad Road).

Uses:— In Chutia Nagpur, a preparation from the plant is given in fever attended with aching limbs. The many joints in the plant have probably influenced the Santal ojhas in their