Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/635

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N, O. MYRTACEÆ.
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A large or moderate-sized evergreen tree. Leaves turning red in the cold season. Bark, grey or light brown, rough, with irregular hard scales, leaving cavities when they exfoliate. Wood reddish grey, hard, rough (Gamble). Branch lets subterete or 4-ginous. Leaves 3-8 by 2-4in., opposite, subcoriaceous, soft, dots often black (in the dried specimens), rarely pellucid, broadly ovate or elliptic-rounded at the apex, or obtusely acuminate, narrowed below ; lateral nerves 8-12 pair, prominent beneath, gradually fainter towards the margin, curving into a faint intra- marginal vein. Petiole ½-¾in., or even lin. Flowers tetramerous, small, greenish, odorous, subsessile. Cymes arranged in trichotomous lateral panicles below the current year's leaves, "mostly from scars of fallen leaves" (Duthie). Peduncles long, acutely-angled.. Calyx campanulate, with short obtuse lobes, or nearly truncate. Petals united and falling off in one piece (operculum). Berry globose or ovoid, ¼-½in., rugose, juicy, edible.

Part used :— The fruit, root, leaves and bark.

Use : — The fruit is eaten for rheumatism, the root, boiled down to the consistence of gur, is applied to the joints by rubbing ; the leaves are much used in dry fomentation ; the bark is also employed medicinally (Revel. A. Campbell, in Watt's Dictionary).

505. E. Jambolana, Lam. h.f.b.i., ii. 499, Roxb. 398.

Syn. : — Sizygium Jambolanum, D. C.

Sans. : — Jamboo.

Vern. : — Jâman, jâm, jâmun (H.) ; Kâlâjâm (B,); Chambu (Garo) ; Jamu (Ass.); Naval, naga (Tarn.); Nasodu, nairuri (Tel.); Jâmbûl (Bomb.) ; Jaâmbûra (Guz.)

Habitat : — Common throughout the plains of India.

A large evergreen tree, usually with a rather crooked stem and many branches. Bark lin. thick, light grey, with large patches of darker colour, smooth, with shallow depressions caused by exfoliation. Wood reddish grey, rough, moderately hard, darker near the centre, no distinct heartwood. Leaves, coriaceous, elliptic, or elliptic-lanceolate; blade 3-6in., petiole ½-1in.