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INDIAN
MEDICINAL PLANTS.

N. O. RANUNCULACEÆ.

1. Clematis Nepaulensis, D.C. h.f.br.i., I. 2.

Syn.:—C. montana, Don.

Vern.:—Pawanne, birri, wandak. (Pb.) Ghantiali (Kumaon).

Habitat:—Temperate Himalaya, from Garhwal to Bhotan.

A slender, nearly glabrous climber. Leaves ternately divided, common petiole 1-1 1/2 in. Leaflets 1-2 in. elliptic—lanceolate, sometimes very narrow, entire, toothed or 3-lobed, 3-nerved; lateral oblique, half as long as, or shorter than, the terminal leaflet or lobe which is 2-3 by 1/3 - 1/2 in. Flowers many, pedicels 1-2 in. long with 2 hyaline bracts joined into a cup, pubescent above the cup. Bud sessile in the cup. Sepals 4, erect, cream-coloured, oblong, silky outside. Filaments glabrous, tapering from a broad flat base; anthers short. Achenes flat, margined, hairy; style 1 1/2 in. long, long in fruit.

Parts used:—The leaves.

Medicinal Properties and Uses:—In Kanawar, the leaves are said to act deleteriously on the skin. (Stewart).

The leaves and stems, since they contain an acrid principle which acts deleteriously on the skin, may be used for purposes of vesication.