N. 0. STERCULIACEÆ 207
A moderate-sized tree, with thick longitudinally cracked bark. Wood light red, moderately hard. Branchlets and in-
florescence densely clothed, with fine ferruginous or tawny stellate hairs. Leaves distichous, 2-4 in., from a rounded base ovate-oblong, acuminate, often irregularly lobed in the upper part, upperside glabrous, underside white or yellowish, filled with fine stellate hairs. Flowers yellowish-white, sweet-scented, peduncles short, axillary, sometimes bearing 2-3 flowers ; bracteoles, deciduous, linear. Sepals linear, fleshy, brown tomentose
4-5 in. long, ⅓-½ in. broad. Petais a little larger then the sepals, but brown and thinner, white. Capsule 2-3 in. long, ¾ in. diam., attenuate into a stalk ½-¾ in. long, tapering at apex to a point, brown velvety. Seeds winged, numerous.
Use : — The flower made into a paste with kanjika(rice vinegar) forms an application for hemicrania (Dutt).
In the Concan, the flowers and bark of this, and P. acerifolium, are charred and mixed with kamala and applied in suppurating small-pox. (Dymock.) The sweet scent of the flowers is due to the small glands on the outer side of the thickened sepals. The sepals are much used by the Bombay High-class ladies in their hair on account of the lasting fragrance of the glands, (K. R. K )
183. P. acerifolium, Willd., h.f.b.i., i. 368, Roxb. 158.
Sansk : — Karnikara.
Vern. : — Kanak-champa, kaniar, katha-champa (FT.) ; Machkunda (Santal) ; Laider (Michi.) ; Karni-kara, kanak-champa (Bomb.) ; Matsa kanda (Tel.); Toungpetwun, tha-majam weisoke (Burm.).
Habitat :— From the N. W. Himalaya in Kumaon, to Chittagong and Concan.
A tall evergreen tree. " Bark thin grey, smooth. Sap- wood white ; heart wood soft to moderately hard, red. Pores scanty, small oval or elongated, generally sub-divided, visible on a longitudinal section. Medullary rays fine, very numerous, undulating, not prominent, uniform, equidistant. Innumerable very fine concentric lines {Gamble). Leaves obovate, polymor-
