glucoside and several flavones. Pogopyrone B exhibited cytotoxic activity.
Polianthes tuberosa Linn.
Family Amaryllidaceae.
Habitat Native to Mexico; cultivated for ornamental use.
English Tuberose.
Ayurvedic Rajanigandhaa.
Siddha/Tamil Nilasampangi.
Folk Gulcheri, Gulshabbu. Action Flowers and bulbs— diuretic. Externally used for skin eruptions. The bulbs are rubbed with turmeric and butter and applied over red pimples of infants. The bulbs are reported to contain
an alkaloid, lycorin, which causes
vomiting.
Dried and powdered bulbs are used for gonorrhoea.
Polyalthia longifolia Thw.
Family Annonaceae.
Habitat Native to Sri Lanka; grown in gardens throughout the warmer parts of India.
English Mast tree, Fake Asoka tree, False Devadaru, Cemetry tree
Ayurvedic Devadaari (Devadaaru is equated with Cedrus deodara).
(An adulterant to the bark of Saraca
asoca.)
Siddha/Tamil Nettilingam.
Action Febrifuge. Causes cardiac depression.
The stem bark contains clerodane diterpenes, polyalthialdoic acid and kolavenic acid. The stem and its bark also contain the cytotoxic aporphine aLkaloid, liriodenine, besides nor-ohveroline and oliveroline beta N oxide. Azafluorene alkaloids are also present in the bark and leaves. The leaf exhibits fungitoxic activity.
Polyalthia simiarum Hook. f. & Thoms. (Orissa, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Eastern Himalaya) is also equated with Fake Ashoka tree. It is known as Boga-khamtou in Assam, Wojarah, Mongai in Orissa and Labshi, Kutti in Nepal.
Polyalthia suberosa Thw. (from As- sam to Uttar Pradesh in the North and Kerala in the South) is known
