360. Mundulea suberosa, Benth. h.f.b.i., ii. 101.
Syn. — Robinia suberosa and R. Senuoides, Roxb. 568.
Habitat : — Hill-valleys of the Western Peninsula and Ceylon.
A stout, erect shrub, with thick corky bark. Branches, rachises,pedicels and leaves beneath densely sericeous. Leaves odd- pinnate. Leaflets 6-10-jugate, oblong, lanceolate, coriaceous, 1½-2in.. long. Flowers in close, terminal racemes. Pedicels 2-3 times the campanulate Calyx.Corolla ¾-1 in. long, reddish, thinly silvery. Pod 3-4in. long, densely sericeous, 6-8- seeded, both sutures thickened, so as to form prominent borders.
Uses : — The seeds are used in Southern and Western India as a fish poison. They stupefy the fish, which are then readily taken by the hand.
The seeds and bark contain a greenish yellow resin, soluble in carbon bisulphide, benzol, chloroform, amylic alcohol, ether, hot alcohol, and partly in caustic alkalis, with a bright yellow colour.
The leaves contain, besides the resin, an organic acid and 9 per cent of ash [Pharmacographia Indica, Vol. I., p. 417].
361. Tephrosia purpurea, Pers. h.f.b.i., ii. 112.
Syn. : — Galega purpurea, Roxb. 587.
Sans. : — Sarapunkha.
Vern. :— Sarphunka (H.) ; Ban-nil (Beng.) ; Bansa (Pb.) ; Jangli-kulthi (Bomb.) ; Kolluk-kây-velai (Tam.) ; Vempali (Tel.) Jhila (Guz.) ; Hun, nâli, jangli-kulthi (Dec.) ; Kozhin-nila (Mal.).
Habitat : — From the Himalayas throughout India.
A copiously-branched, sub-erect, herbacous perennial. Stem glabrescent or finely downy, l-2ft high, slender, terete. Leaves odd-pinnate, short-petioled, 3-6in. long. Stipules linear, subulate, ascending or reflexed; leaflets 13-21, narrow, oblanceolate, obtuse, green, glabrescent above, glaucous, obscurely silky below. Racemes copious, all leaf-opposed, 3-6in. long, lax ; lower flowers fascicled; pedicels ⅛-¼in., bracts minute. Calyx ½-1/6in., closely silky. Calyx teeth narrow, cuspidate, as long as the tube. Corolla ¼-½ in., red, thinly silky. Pod 1½-2 by 1/6 in., broad glabres-
