Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/393

Habitat : — Throughout India, in the plains and low hills, from Kumaon to Assam and southward to Travancore.

A perennial herb, often woody below, with a long tap-root and numerous, elongated, slender, prostrate or ascending, slightly-branched, compressed, glabrous stems. Leaves numerous, small, ¼-½in., on very short petioles, closely placed and often overlapping, linear-oblong, obtuse, apiculate ; stipules peltate, sagittate, brown, scarious. Flowers normally solitary on slender solitary pedicels ; females larger ; sepals oblong, obtuse ; stamens 3, distinct ; styles short, bifid. Fruit very small, under ⅛in., on somewhat enlarged sepals, globose, faintly 3-lobed, usually tubercled. (Trimen). Seeds minute, trigonous, rounded on the back, finely tubercled, dark-brown.

Var. :—Oblongifolia. — Stem erect, diffusely branched. Leaves ½-¾in. long, elliptic-oblong, sub-acute ; female pedicels ½-¾in. Dekkan Peninsula and Ceylon. (J. D. Hooker.) A very variable plant in habit.

Uses:— The natives use the fresh leaves, flowers and fruit, with cumin seeds and sugar, of each equal parts made into an electuary, for the cure of gonorrhoea, a teaspoonful is given twice a day. The fresh leaves, bruised and mixed with butter milk, make a wash to cure the itch in children. (Roxburgh).

The root is used in Chutia Nagpur as an external application for mammary abscess. (Campbell.)

Sans. : — Bhudhâtri, Bahupatri, Amrita-Amlika, Shina.

Vern. : — Bhûin-anvalah (Hind, and Dec.); Kizhkây-nelli (Tam.) ; Néla-usirika (Tel.) ; Kizhâ-nelli (Mal.) ; Kiranelli-gidá (Kan.); Miziphiyu (Burm.); Bhui âvali (Bom.); Bhuiaola (Uriya); Niruri (Sind).

Habitat : —Throughout the hotter parts of India ; from the Punjab to Assam ; and southward to Travancore. A reddish petioled variety found wild and common in the Thana district. (K. R. K.)