Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/535
N. 0. LILIACEÆ.
1270. Smilax glabra, Roxb., h.f.b.i., vi., 302 ; Roxb. 725.
Vern. : — Badichobchíni (H.) ; Hariná-shuk-china (B.) ; Hazina (Garo).
Habitat : — Eastern Bengal ; Sylhet, and the Garo and Khasi hills.
The long, white, tender and beautiful flower spikes. Females are cooked and eaten as a savoury vegetable in the Thana district. (K. R. Kirtikar.)
Climbing, straggling shrubs. Branchlets slender, terete, smooth, unarmed. Leaves, alternate, 3-6 by l¼-2¼in., elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 3-costate to the rounded or cuneate base, rather thin, petiole, ½-⅔in., narrowly sheathing, unarmed ; cirrhi very slender ; sheath ⅓-⅔in., long, axillary. Umbles many-fid ; penduncle ebracteate ; pedicels ¼-½in., bracteoles subulate. Flowers very small, white ; buds depressed —globose, deeply 6-lobed from the groove on the back of the obovate, cucullate, coriaceous sepals ; petals minute ; stamens very short ; staminodes in female flowers 3. The roots are nodose. (J. D. Hooker.)
Uses : — A decoction of the fresh root is used by the hill tribes of Assam for the cure of sores and venereal complaints (Watt.)
1271. S. lanceaefolia, Roxb. h.f.b.i., vi. 308. Roxb. 725.
Vern. : — Hindi chobchini (H.) ; Gutea-shuk-china (B.).
Habitat : — Eastern Himalaya, from Sikkim to Bhutan ; the Khasia hills ; Naga-hills and Manipur.
A climbing shrub. Branches slender, sub-terete ; prickles few or 0. Leaves 4-6 by l½-3in., orbicular-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, 3-costate ; base acute, membranous, subcaudate, intra-marginal nerves very slender, punctulate, and lineolate. Petiole ½-¾in., sheath, obscure. Male umbel, subsessile, 15-25-fid pedicels ⅓in., filiform ; bracteoles ovate, acute. Flowers ¼in. diam., peduncles, naked, shorter than the petioles. Sepals and