Vern. : — Mirandu, padriún, bakra (Pb.); Bakra, chauli, shanria (N.-W. P.) ; Chauri (Oudh) ; Karkava, irkuli, chelup-pai-maram (Tam. ) ; Nerija, booligi (Tel.) ; Miri, thanki (Kol.) ; Newri (Santal). The leaves— Bhutâpâla (Mar.) ; Tamrug ; Aran tandig bhukas (Bomb.), Burkas (Konan).
Habitat : — Throughout the hotter parts of India.
A moderate-sized or large tree, often with reddish branch-lets. Bark dark-grey, smooth, blood-red inside, exuding when cut a profuse watery sap from the cambium layer. Leaves opposite or sub-opposite ; less frequently alternate 2-6 by l-3in., elliptic ovate-oblong or obovate, acuminate, crenate subcoriaceous, glabrous, dark green and shining above, glaucous beneath. (Whence the specific name " Glaucum ") main lateral nerves about 10 pair, slender; petiole 2/5-1in. long, channeled. Cymes axillary, dichotomous, 3/5 in. long, peduncle 1-2½in. long, often red. Flowers 1/5in. diam., whitish, pale, yellowish-green, says Trimen. Calyx 4-5-cleft, segments obtuse. Disk fleshy. Petals 4-5, about 1/10in. long, oblong. Stamens 4-5, short, inserted under the edge of the disk ; filaments recurved. Ovary adnate to the disk. Style very short. Fruit a dry obovoid drupe, 2/5-3/5in. long, 1-celled, 1-seeded, tipped with persistent style, mostly sterile, (reproduction chiefly by root-suckers — Kanjilal).
Flowers all the year, says Trimen.
Found in Ceylon, dry country.
Trimen :— (Singhalese) Naralu ; (Tamil) piyari ; Perun- Piyari.
Parts used. — The leaves, root and bark.
Use :--The powdered leaves have a powerful sternutatory action, and are used as a fumigatory to rouse women from hysterical syncope, and as a snuff to relieve ordinary headache. (S. Arjun). The fresh root-bark, when rubbed into a paste with water, is applied by the Natives to remove almost every sort of swelling (Roxb) The root is a specific against snake-bite, and the bark is used in native medicine and said to be a virulent poison. (Watt.)
