Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/547

in a terminal raceme, 6-1 2in. long. Perianth ⅓in. long, bell-shaped*, 6-parted ; segments white, with 3 green ribs in the centre ; lip rounded. Stamens 6 at base of segments and shorter. Ovary 3 celled, 3-grooved. Style shorter than the ovary, straight, tapering downward, ovules several in each cell. Capsule ½-¾in., oblong, 3-valved ; cells 6-9 seeded. Seeds many, flat, black, ¼in. diam.

Uses : — The Hindus use the bulb in the preparation of chândi-bhasma or " ashes of silver," which they employ medicinally. "Indian Mahomedan writers evidently consider the Indian squill as identical in medicinal properties with the squill of the Greeks ; they prescribe it in the paralytic affections, also as an expectorant, digestive, diuretic, deobstruent and emmenagogue, in many diseases, more especially in asthma, dropsy, rheumatism, calculous affections, leprosy and skin diseases." (Dymock). European writers vary much in their opinions regarding the medicinal properties of the drug. Ainslie states that it " is chiefly employed by farriers for horses in cases of strangury and fever." Roxburgh writes that the bulb is quite as nauseous and bitter as that of the officinal squill ; while O'Shaughnessy remarks that bulbs examined by him were inodorous, nearly tasteless, and devoid of any medicinal property. Bidie, Atkinson, U. C. Dutt, K. L, De, Dymock and others confirm the statement that the drug is an efficient substitute for Urginea Scilla. Moodeen Sheriff explains the discrepancy by stating that, when young and small, not exceeding a lime in size, it acts as a diuretic, in doses of 10-20 grains, even more powerfully than the officinal

• Mr. H. H. Haines, I.F.S., writes in the Indian Forester for July, 1917 p. 337 :-

In the Flora of British India, the perianth is described as campanulate, and this character is given in other works I have consulted including, I regret to say, my own Flora of Chota Nagpur, as, at that time, I had not observed the plant late of an evening. The description of the flowers of Scilla is given as stellate or campanulate, and although that description was not intended to mean in one and the same species, it really does apply to some species of both Scilla and Urginea. If one walks along a fire-line on a moonlight night, all the flowers of Urginea indica, whose night out it is— they only get one each in their lives —will be found wide open, stellately spreading and fragrant. It is then a very graceful pretty plant. Next morning all the flowers are campanulate, in which condition they have always been described.