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Vern. : — Sarpano-charo ; Asmâni galgoto ; Jangali lavandar (Duk. and Guz.).

Habitat: — Deccan Peninsula; common in the West, from the Concan to Coorg. Central India, at Indore.

A slender erect herb. Stems 2-3 ft. high, simple or branched, 4-angled, pubsecent. Leaves sessile or nearly so, 2-4in. long and as broad as long, pinnatipartite or deeply pinnatisect ; lobes linear, entire or cut or toothed, obtuse or subacute, glabrous or pubescent above, pale and pubescent beneath. Spikes simple or more or less branched, or sometimes subumbellate, bracts pubescent, ¼-⅓in. long, broadly ovate and strongly nerved at the base, the apex ending in a long capillary awn. Calyx (in fruit) grey-pubescent, 1/5in. long, tube somewhat curved ; teeth lanceolate, acute and with pennicillate tips. Corolla blue or white, nearly -½in. long, hairy outside ; tube ⅓in. long, slender below ; upper lip -⅛in. long ; middle lobe of lower lip twice as long as the 2 lateral ones. Nutlets oblong-ellipsoid, mucilaginous when moistened (Duthie).

Uses: — Mr. Indraji, the author of " Vanaspati Shástra, " a book containing valuable information on the flora of the Western Presidency, India, writes that it is not known whether anybody else has made use of the plant except that the villagers and shepherds of the Barda Hills in Kathiawar have used it as a medicine.

In places where the plant grows serpents abound. It is supposed to act as an antidote for poison ; the roots are rubbed with water and the solution or the paste is applied over the sting of wild animals. The powdered leaves are given for inhalation to the person who has been stung by a serpent in order to prevent him from falling into sleep.

Colonel Kirtikar having drawn the attention of Prof. D. D. Kanga, to the importance of this plant, who extracted oil from its flowers, and leaves.

According to him '" the oil obtained from the flowers was quite different in all respects from that obtained from the leaves ; it differed both physically and chemically ; the yield of oil was greater from the leaves than from the flowers.