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ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF INDIA..
DECEMBER, 1885.]
done. Its effect is the same upon wine, which when condensed by it, can be held in your hand like a piece of wax, though it melts the next day. It is found beneficial in the cure of. bowel disorders."
My reasons, for identifying the above with the pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) are as follow:Though of common occurrence in the moist tropical parts of India, it is seldom found except where cultivated in gardens and plantations in the Pañjab and the arid tracts of Northern India generally, where, as it does not flourish, it is probably not often larger than a well-grown olive tree. Its small figs are inconspicuous, scarcely exceeding the larger varieties of peas in size, so that it might easily have been supposed to have had neither flowers nor fruit. Its roots sometimes clasp other trees in their embrace, and they are generally visible at the surface of the ground for some distance away from the trunk. There is no limit, however, to their number. Being regarded as sacred by the Hindus, offerings of various emblems and idols are often to be seen placed round the trunk; in some cases ancient stone implements and other stones of curious and grotesque shapes may be observed thus collected around it. In these facts I would suggest that the myth as to the attractive power of the roots, or, as Apollônios has it, the tree itself, for metals and stones, may very probably have originated. Its "attractive" power for birds and other animals is very readily explained, since from the glutinous juice which exudes from the stem bird-lime is commonly made; and it may be that the "attraction" for metals, &c., merely refers to some adhesive substance prepared from this juice. The effects of the fresh juice when dropped into water or wine might possibly be to thicken them, but perhaps not to the extent stated by Ktêsias. As to the medicinal properties, the seeds are believed to be cooling and alterative, and the leaves and young shoots are used as a purgative.
To the above, which constitute strong reasons in favour of this identification, there may be added, that although at first sight the name pipal presents no very close resemblance to parébon, still, when written as it is often pronounced, peepun, the I being replaced by n, it
30 [Does not the description, however, tally better with the Banyan tree or bar, Skr. vata, Ficus Indica P-ED.]
337
is not difficult to understand how the sound may have suggested to the ear of the Greek writer a combination of letters which he represented by rápnẞov.30
7. TREES BEARING WOOL (Tidé dévôpea Tà ἄγρια αὐτόθι φέρει καρπὸν ἐΐρια). Gossypium indicum, Lam.-Cotton Tree. No claim can be made here for originality in identifying with cotton the substance mentioned in, the following extracts. It is an identification about which commentators are agreed. It is only mentioned here on account of some special points of interest connected with it; but it might have been omitted for the same reason that so many other substances have been, namely, that their identity is not doubtful.
Herodotos1 says:-"One sees, besides, wild trees which, instead of fruit, carry a species of wool more beautiful and better than that of the sheep. The Indians dress themselves with the wool which they collect from these trees."
Ktêsias, as related by several of his commentators, refers to the trees in India which bear wool.
Arrian, quoting from Nearkhos, also refers to this product, which in its woven state, was new to the Greeks who went to India in the army of Alexander.
A cotton from stones, mentioned by some early authors, appears to have been asbestos, as I have elsewhere suggested."
The xápraσos mentioned in thè Periplus as an export from Ariakê to Egypt, was the Sanskrit kárpása, signifying fine muslin. The name survives in the modern Hindustânî word kapás, cotton.
8. THE SIPTAKHORAS TREE (ETTάxoраs). Schleichera trijuga, Wild, and Bassia latifolia, Roxb.
In the account of EKтpov, supra, p. 309f., the identification of the siptakhoras has, by anticipation, been already suggested. It appears to combine the characteristics of two trees. which are found in the same tract of country. The khusum tree (Schleichera trijuga) was probably the tree which yielded the shell-lac, and it seems to have been confused with the mahuwd (Bassia latifolia), since from the 11 Thalia, lib. III. c. evi. Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society, 1883, p. 83.
