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3. Kokoona ceylanlca Thwaites in Hook. Kew Journ. Bot. 5: 380. 1853. (Fig. 111).<br />
Sinh. Kokun, Pottueta, Wanapotu.<br />
CELASTRACEAE<br />
A very large tree with a rough,corky,grey bark,inner bark yellow and young parts glabrous;<br />
leaves simple, opposite, stipulate, 6.4—10 cm long, obovate, cuneate at base, rounded or<br />
.retuse at apex, entire or faintly serrate, coriaceous, glabrous above, paler beneath and<br />
'punctate with numerous, minute, glandular dots each covered by a red scale; petioles 1.2 cm<br />
long; stipules very minute, triangular, persistent; flowers regular, bisexual, dull yellowishbrown,<br />
1—1.2 cm diameter, in axillary or extra-axillary panicles much shorter than leaves,<br />
pedicels glabrous, bracts minute; sepals 5, fused into a 5-lobed, cup-shaped calyx, lobes very<br />
shallow and glabrous; petals 5, contorted in bud, rounded, concave, thick, dotted within; disc<br />
fleshy, perigynous, green and lobed; stamens 5, inserted on top of the disc; ovary superior,<br />
3-1 ocular with two pairs of ascending ovules in each loculus, style short, stigma capitate; fruit a<br />
bluntly trigonous, oblong-ovoid, loculicidal capsule, 10 cm long, with four seeds in each<br />
compartment, valves thick, coriaceous, glabrous; seeds compressed, over 7.5 cm long, winged,<br />
orange-yellow.<br />
Flowers from March to May.<br />
Illustrations. Thwaites in Hook. Kew Journ. 5: pi. 6. 1853; Beddome, Flor. Sylvat.<br />
pi. 146.1868—73; Kirtikar and Basu, Indian Med. PI. pi,.234/4.1933;Herb.-Peradeniya., drawing.<br />
Distribution. Occurs in the Annamallay hills in India and in Ceylon. It is rather rare<br />
in Ceylon and found in forests in moist regions between 1000— 4000 feet altitude. Pelawatte,<br />
Pasdun Korale; Ratnapura; Ambagamuwa; Udugama and Hiniduma Forests.<br />
Ceylon. Without locality, Thwaites CP. 2084.<br />
Uses. The inner bark, which is yellow, is used in the treatment of diabetes, snake-bites,<br />
swollen joints, eye diseases and headaches. With other drugs, it is used in treating framboesii<br />
pimples and diseases of the skin. The bark may also be used to lighten the colour of the skin<br />
and for removing marks from the face. It is often used as snuff for severe headaches.<br />
The oil from the seeds is used as a leech repellent.<br />
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