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12. Ipomoea obscura (Linn.) Ker-Gawl. in Bot. Reg. PI. 239. 1817. (Fig. 151).<br />
CONVOLVULACEAE<br />
Ipomoea insuavis Blume—Ipomoea ocularis Bartl.—Ipomoea ochroleuca Spanogue—Convolvulus<br />
ohseurus L.<br />
Sinh. Mahamadu, Telkola; Tarn. Chirudali, Chirutali, Kuruguttali, Sirudali, Siruttali;<br />
Sans. Vachagandha.<br />
A twining plant with very long, slender, glabrous or slightly hairy, purplish green stems;<br />
leaves simple, alternate, without stipules, 5—7.5 cm long, 4—6.5 cm broad, deeply cordateovate,<br />
acuminate, subacute, glabrous of finely ciliate, thin, petioles 3.7—5 cm long, glabrous<br />
or pubescent; flowers regular, yellowish white with a small purple eye, bisexual, rather small,<br />
on stout glabrous or pubescent pedicels 0.6—2 cm long, solitary or 2 together, peduncles<br />
3—4.3 cm long, bracts very small; sepals 5, imbricate, nearly equal, 5—5.5 mm long,<br />
3.5—4 mm broad, ovate, shortly cuspidate; petals 5, fused into a wide tubular corolla, corollatube<br />
1 cm long, cylindrical, limb 2.5 cm diameter; stamens 5, unequal on corolla-tube; ovary<br />
superior, 2-locular with two ovules in each chamber, style simple, about 1 cm long, stigmas 2<br />
globose; fruit capsule dehiscent, 1 cm long, ovate-ovoid, tipped with the style on thickened,<br />
deflexed pedicel, seeds ovoid, 4 mm long, dark brown and densely velvety.<br />
Flowers from July to August.<br />
Illustrations. Ker-Gawl., Bot. Reg. pi. 239. 1817; Kirtikar and Basu, Indian Med.<br />
Plants, pi. 659.4 1933; Herb. Peradeniya., drawing.<br />
Distribution. Occurs throughout India, Ceylon, Malaya, Mascarene Islands and East<br />
Africa. It is common in the low-country in Ceylon, both in the dry and moist regions.<br />
Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Hantane, Peradeniya, Colombo, etc.<br />
India. Plan Ganget. Sup., T. Thomson. Maisor and Carnatic: G. Thomson. Ceylon.<br />
Dambulla, Thwaites CP. 1935, March 1868; Peradeniya, Alston 1305, Dec. 1925.<br />
Uses. The leaves are used as an application on aphthous affections. The latex is used<br />
for treatment of gangrenous sores and for the preparation of medicinal oils used for<br />
the same purpose. The bruised fresh leaves are often applied to remove pieces of broken<br />
needles and to remove foreign bodies from the eye. Internally, they act as a cardiac,<br />
stomachic, expectorant, and diuretic and are useful for chronic dyspepsia, bronchitis and<br />
renal and hepatic dropsy.<br />
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