N. 0. PEDALINEÆ.
909. Martynia diandra, Glox. h.f.b.i., iv. 386.
Vern :— Bichchhu (H), Naka-tali (Tam).
English : — Tiger claw or Devil's claw.
Habitat : —An American weed, it is now common in the Gangetic plain and elsewhere in India on road sides and in waste places, flowering during the rainy season.
A tall coarse herb. Leaves large, opposite, cordate, glutinous. Flowers diandrous, rose-colored and handsome like those of Sesamum indicum, DeC. Fruit large, woody, beaked by two curved spines, having somewhat the appearance of a beetle.
Uses : — The fruit is rubbed down with water and applied to the part stung by scorpion.
910. Pedalium Murex, Linn., h.f.b.i., iv. 386, Roxb. 496.
Vern. — Farid-búti, bará gôkhru (Hind.); Khasake-kabir (Arab.); Khasake-kalán (Pers.) ; Barâ-ghokru (Dec); Peru- nerunji (Tam.) ; Enuga-palleru-mullu. pedda-palleru (Tel.)'; Bara-ghokru (Beng.;; Motto-ghokru (Guz.) ; Hatti-charátte, mothe gokharu (Mar.); Anne-galu-gida (Kan.}.
Habitat -Dekkan and Konkan. Found by me in Thana district at nchni (Tarapur) and at Ghat Kopar hill spur (K. R. K. )
An annual herb, growing in sandy places near the sea. Stems decumbent, much branched, thick, slightly rough with scaly glands or hairs. Leaves opposite, 1-1½in., broadly oval-oblong, acute at base, truncate or obtuse, very coarsely crenate-serrate or lobed, glabrous above, covered with minute scaly glands beneath, rather fleshy, pale glaucous green. Petiole ¼-½in. Flowers sulphur yellow, on very short curved peduncles, Calyx-tube very short and wide ; segments linear, spreading. Corolla limb lin. diam.; lobes broad ; throat hairy within ; filaments glandular — hairy at base. Fruit ½-¾in., narrowed below
