called Pláffey by the vulgar, but properly Paláfi; and, on every account, it must be hoped, that this noble plant will retain its ancient and claffical appellation. A grove of Palásas was formerly the principal ornament of Crishna-nagar, where we ftill fee the trunk of an aged tree near fix feet in circumference. This genus as far as we can judge from written defcriptions, feems allied to the Niffolia. 62. CARANJACA: SYN. Chirabilva, Nattamála, Caraja. VULG. Caranja. RHEEDE: Caranfchi, 6 H. M. tab. 3. CAL. Perianth one-leaved, cup-form, obfcurely five-toothed, or fcalloped, beaked. COR. Boat-form. Awning broad, end-nicked, ftriated, rather spirally inflected, with two callofities at its base. Wings oblong, of the fame length with the awning. Keel rather shorter, gibbous below, two-parted. STAM. Filaments nine in one body, gaping at the base, and discovering a tenth close to the style. Anthers egged, erect. PIST. Germ above, oblong, downy. Style incurved at the top. Stigma rather headed. PER. Legume mostly one-feeded, thick, rounded above, flattish, beaked below. SEED oblong-roundish, rather kidney-form. Racemes axillary. Awning pale; wings violet. Awning pale; wings violet. Leaves feathered with an odd one, mostly two-paired; leaflets egg-oblong, pointed, keeled, short-petioled; brownish on one fide, pale on the other. Common petiol gibbous at its base. The feed yields an oil fupposed to be a cure for the most inveterate scabies. 63. ARJUNA: 63. ARJUNA: SYN. Nadifarja, Virataru, Indradru, Cacubha. VULG. Jaral. RHEEDE. Adamboe; 4 H. M. tab. 20, 21, 22. LINN. Beautiful MUNCHHAUSIA ? KOEN. Queen's-flower LAGERSTROEMIA? CAL. Perianth one-leaved, fix-cleft, top-shaped, furrowed, with protuberant ridges, downy, permanent; divifions, coloured, with points reflected. COR. Petals fix, roundish, fomewhat notched, expanding, wavy; claws fhort, inferted in the calyx. STAM. Filaments coloured, numerous, capillary fhortish, obfcurely conjoined in fix parcels, one to each divifion of the calyx; Anthers thick, incumbent, roundish, kidney-shaped. PIST. Germ above, egged. Style coloured, longish, thread-form, incurved. Stigma obtuse. PER. Capfule egged, fix-celled, fix-valved. SEEDS numerous. Panicles, racemed, terminal,. erect. Flowers violet or light purple, in the highest degree beautiful. Leaves alternate, leathery, some oppofite, egg-oblong, ftipuled, most entire, short-petioled, smooth, paler beneath. Branches round and smooth: I have seen a fingle panicle, waving near the fummit of the tree, covered with bloffoms, and as large as a milk-maid's garland. The timber is used for the building of small boats. 64. VANDA': SYN. Vrichádanì, Vricfharuhá, Jívanticá. VULG. Bánda, Perfárà, Perafárà. These names, like the Linnaan, are applicable to all parafite plants. CAL. CAL. Spathes, minute, ftraggling. COR. Petals five, diverging, oval-oblong, obtufe, wavy; the two loweft larger; the three highest, equal, bent towards the nectary. Nectary central, rigid: Mouth gaping oblique: Upper lip fhorter, three-parted, with a polished honey-cup; under lip, concave in the middle, keeled above, with two fmaller cavities below; two proceffes at the base, incurved, hollow, oval-pointed, converging, honeybearing. STAM. Filaments very short. Anthers round, flattifh, margined, covered with a lid, eafily deciduous from the upper lip of the nectary. PIST. Germ beneath, long, ribbed, contorted with curves of oppofite flexure. Style very short, adhering to the upper lip. Stigma fimple. PER. Capfule oblong-conick, wreathed, fix-keeled, each with two fmaller keels, three-celled, crowned with the dry corol. SEEDS innumerable like fine duft, affixed to the Receptacle with extremely fine hairs, which become thick wool. Scapes incurved, folitary, from the cavity of the leaf, at most sevenflowered: pedicels alternate. Petals milk-white externally, tranfparent; brown within, yellow-spotted. Upper lip of the nectary fnow-white; under lip, rich purple or light crimson striated at the base, with a bright yellow gland, as it feems, on each process. The flowers gratefully fragrant and exquifitely beautiful, looking as if composed of fhells or made of enamel'; crifp, elastick, vifcid internally. Leaves fheathing, oppofite, equally curved, rather fleshy, fwordform, retufe in two ways at the fummit, with one acute point. Roots fibrous smooth, flexible; fhooting even from the top of the leaves. This lovely plant attaches itself chiefly to the highest Amras and Bilvas; but it is an air-plant, and lives in a pot without earth or water: its leaves are excavated upwards to catch and retain dew. It most resembles the first and second Maravaras of VAN RHEEDE in its its roots, leaves, and fruit, but rather differs from them in its inflorefcence. Since the parafites are diftinguished by the trees, on which they most commonly grow, this may in Sanferit be called Amaravandà; and the name Baculavandà fhould be applied to the Loranthus; while the Vifcum of the Oak, I am told, is named Vandà fimply and tranfcendently, the Vandáca, or Oak, being held facred. 65. A'MALACI': SYN. Tishyap'halá, Amritá, Vayaft' há. VULG. LINN. PHYLLANTHUS Emblicá. 66. GAJAPIPPALI`: SYN. Caripippali, Capiballi, Colaballi, Sréyas'i, Vas'ira. Some add, Chavicá or Chavya, but that is named, in the Amaracósh, as a distinct plant, vulgarly Chava or Chayi. VULG. Pippal-j'hanca, Maidah. Male Flowers. CAL. Common Perianth four-leaved; leaflets, roundish, concave; the two exterior, oppofite, smaller; containing from eight to fourteen florets. Partial calyx, none. COR. None. Nectary, many yellow glands on the pedicel of the filaments. STAM. Filaments from eight to eighteen in each floret, connected by a fhort villous pedicel, threadform, very hairy. Anthers large, netted, irregular, inflated, containing the pollen. PIST. Rudiments of a germ and style, withering. CAL. Female Flowers. Common Perianth as in the male, but smaller; containing from ten to twelve florets. Partial calyx, none; unless you affume the corol. COR. COR. Many-petaled, belled. Petals erect lance-linear, fleshy, covered within, and externally with white hairs. Nectary, yellow glands fprinkling the receptacle. PIST. Germ oval. Style cylindrick, curved at the base. Stigma headed. PER. Berry globular, one-feeded. SEED, fpherical smooth. Flowers umbelled, yellow from their anthers. Leaves moftly oblonglanced, but remarkably varying in shape, alternate. Both flowers and fruit have an agreeable fcent of lemon-peel; and the berries, as a native gardener informs me, are used as a spice or condiment: it was from him that I learned the Sanfcrit name of the plant; but as balli means a creeper, and as the Pippal-jhanca is a tree perfectly able to stand without fupport, I fufpect in fome degree the accuracy of his information; though I cannot account for his using a Sanferit word without being led to it, unless he had acquired at least traditional knowledge. It might be referred, from the imperfect mixed flower, to the twenty-third class. 67. SA'CO'TA'CA: SYN. VULG. Sy'ura, or Syaura. KOEN. Roughleaved Trophis? MALE. CAL. Common imbricated; leaflets fix or eight, egged, acute, small, expanding, withering, containing generally from five to seven flowerets. Partial four-parted; divifions egged, expanded, villous. COR. None, unless you affume the calyx. STAM. Filaments mostly four (in fome, three; in one, five) awled, flefhy, rather compreffed, fpreading over the divifions of the calyx, and adhering to them at the point. Anthers double, folded. The buds elastick, springing open on a touch. CAL. |