curry leaf
Content
Curry Leaf (Murraya koenigii), Perennial, Nutritious, Leafy Vegetable I
SALIKUTTYJOSEPH2 AND K. V. PETER3
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii, Rutaceae) is an important leafy vegetable and the leaves are widely used in Indian cookery for flavouring foodstuffs. The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and feebly acidic taste, and they retain theirflavour and other qualities even after drying. Curry leaf is also used in many of the Indian ayurvedic and unani prescriptions. The plant originated in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, India, and at present it is cultivated in Burma, Ceylon, China, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The crop is usually propagated by seeds. A volatile oil, curry leaf oil, produced from the plant has uses in the soap industry. There is need to conserve the variability in the plant to prevent extinction of desirable types.
In the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, India, cereals, horticultural crops, fodder, oilseed crops and other crops are grown intercropped or grown in adjacent fields. The region's highly fertile soil, vast reserves of underground water, and variety of temperate, subtropical and tropical climates have made possible the profuse growth and cultivation of many crops throughout the year. A visitor to this area will observe a shrubby plant grown unattended. Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. S. Joseph, 2606, Kerala Forest Research Institute Herbarium, Peechi, Trichur, Kerala, Rutaceae. Syn: Bergera koenigii Koen., Chaleas koenigii Curz ex Swingle) is that shrubby plant which took birth in this region (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935). Used as a flavourant and as a leafy vegetable by the early inhabitants, the Dravidians, curry leaf was introduced to southern India when the Dravidians moved south after the arrival of Aryans from Persia. Curry leaf adorns every houseyard of south India. The leaves are used mainly for seasoning and flavouring. Ground curry leaves with mature coconut kernel and adequate spices form excellent preserves. The plant has many medicinal uses in the ayurveda form of medicine so popular in India (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935). A volatile oil, a crystalline glycoside koenigin, and murrayin from the flowers are a few of the industrial products obtained from the tree (Pharmacognosy of Ayurvedic drugs, 1957; Wealth of India, 1962). GEOGRAPHICALDISTRIBUTION The curry leaf tree often forms undergrowth in forests throughout India and the Andaman Islands up to an altitude of 1,500 m (Wealth of India, 1962). Dastur (1970) recorded its wild form in the Garwhal Hills in Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Bengal, Assam, central India, western Ghats, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is also found in Burma, Ceylon, China, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Received 14 August 1981; accepted 7 August 1984. 2Assistant Professor, Collegeof Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, P.O. Vellanikkara, Trichur, Kerala, India. 3Professor of Horticulture, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, P.O. Vellanikkara, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Economic Botany, 39(1), 1985, pp. 68-73 9 1985, by the New York BotanicalGarden, Bronx, NY 10458
1985]
JOSEPH & PETER: CURRY LEAF
69
Fig. 1. Curry leaf (Murraya koenigil~.
BOTANY
Murraya, its generic name, commemorates Professor John Adam Murray of Gottingen (Fyson, 1977). This member of the Rutaceae is an unarmed, semideciduous, aromatic, pubescent shrub or small tree, 3-5 m high with slender but strong woody stem (Fig. l). The branches are covered with dark grey bark. The woody stem has a closely crowded, shady crown. Leaves are alternate, exstipulate, imparipinnate, 15-20 cm long, usually glabrous, sometimes slightly pubescent when young and very strongly aromatic. Rachis is slender, terete, and pubescent, often with a light reddish tinge above. Leaflets number 9-12 or more, short-stalked and alternate, ovate to ovate
70
ECONOMIC BOTANY
[VOL. 39
lanceolate, gland-dotted, and strongly aromatic. The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and feebly acidulous taste. They retain their flavour and maintain it even when moderately dried. The inflorescence is a terminal, pedunculate, many-flowered, compact, corymbiform, cymose panicle. The peduncles and pedicels are pubescent. The flowers are small, white, fragrant, about 1 cm long, subcompanulate, ebractiate or with minute bracts. Calyx is deeply 5-cleft and pubescent, petals number 5, free and spreading. Stamens are 10 and are attached around or outside the disc. Filaments are free, alternately short and long, linear, subulate and bear small and short anthers. Ovary is hypogynous and is seated on the disc, 2-celled with 1 or rarely 2 ovules in each cell. The style is elongate, cylindrical, thick and articulate. The stigma is capitate or grooved. Fruits occur in close clusters. They are small, ovoid or subglobose, apiculate and glandular. The berries are 1-2 cm in diameter with a thin pericarp and mucilaginous pulp enclosing 1 or 2 seeds. Fruits turn green to red and ultimately black on ripening. Seeds are nonendospermic with membraneous and glabrous testa. The embryo is small. CHROMOSOME NUMBER The curry leaf tree is a diploid with 2n = 18 (Raghavan, 1957). Its high-seeded nature, viability of seed and fertile progenies indicate the true diploid nature of the tree. RELATED SPECIES TWO species, Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (indigenous to Burma), and Murraya exotica L. (Syn: Chaleas paniculata Mant., Camminum sinense Rumph., Marsana buxifolia Sonnerat) (indigenous to India, Ceylon, and China) are most closely related to Murraya koenigii (Balfour, 1976). The wood of Murraya paniculata, sometimes referred to as Chinese box wood or Andaman satin wood, is popular in the trade. Murraya exotica is a popular hedge and is well adapted for topiary. METHODS OF PROPAGATION
Curry leaf is usually propagated by seeds, but root suckers are also used with limited success. Attempts to propagate curry leaf through air layering have not been successful (Philip et al., 1981). Seeds germinate freely under partial shade. A spacing of 3-4 m has been suggested for planting seedlings (Wealth of India, 1962). Planting in the southernmost parts of India is mostly done just before the arrival of the southwest monsoon in May. It is possible to harvest leaves 15 mo after planting, and a fully grown tree is likely to yield about 100 kg of leaves per year.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE CROP
Leaves are used for flavouring curries and chutneys. Analysis of leaves (Aykroyd, 1966) gave the following values: water, 66.3%; protein, 6.1%; fat (ether extract), 1.0%; carbohydrate, 18.7%; fibre, 6.4%; mineral matter, 4.2%; calcium, 830 mg/100 g of edible leaf; phosphorus, 57 mg/100 g of edible leaf; iron, 7.0 mg/100 g of edible leaf; carotene (as vitamin A), 12,600 I.U./100 g of edible part; nicotinic acid, 2.3 mg/100 g; and vitamin C, 4 mg/100 g of edible leaf. Leaves are rich sources of calcium but due to the presence of oxalic acid in high concentration (total oxalates 1.35%, soluble oxalates 1.15%), the nutritional availability of calcium is affected (Wealth of India, 1962). The free amino acids present in the leaves are asparagin, glycine, serine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, theonine, alamine, proline, tyrosine, tryptophan, alpha amino butyric acid, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine and traces of ornithine, lysine, arginine and histidine (Wealth of India, 1962). A detailed comparison of nutritive values with other vegetables is presented in Table 1.
1985]
JOSEPH & PETER: CURRY LEAF
71
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72
ECONOMICBOTANY MEDICINAL VALUES
[VOL.39
Curry leaf is used in m a n y o f the ayurvedic and unani medical prescriptions. The leaves and roots are slightly bitter, acrid, cooling, alexeric, anthelmintic and analgesic. Leaves and roots are reported (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935) to cure piles and allay heat o f the body, thirst, inflammation and itching. Bark and roots are used as stimulants. The green leaves are said (Drury, 1978) to be eaten raw for the treatment o f dysentery. External application o f pulped bark and root is reported (Dastur, 1970) to relieve eruptions and the bites o f poisonous animals. An infusion o f toasted leaves is used to stop vomiting. In the Punjab State o f India, the leaves are applied to bruises. The plant is credited with tonic and stomachic properties. The root is slightly purgative (Peter, 1978). T h e tribal peoples o f India, especially the Mundas, use its ground bark for a drink, and they rub the bark on the bitten limb as a snakebite remedy. The root is eaten and rubbed on for bodyache. The powdered leaf is used to aid in the healing o f fresh cuts, and a decoction o f the leaves is drunk for dropsy (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935). INDUSTRIAL USES Fresh leaves steam distilled under pressure yield a volatile oil (curry leaf oil) which m a y find use as a fixative for a heavy type o f soap perfume. It has a specific gravity (Wealth o f India, 1962) o f 0.9748 at 250C, a saponification value o f 5.2 and an acid value o f 3.8. The edible fruit yields a yellow, volatile oil with a nerolilike o d o u r and a pepper-like taste, accompanied by an agreeable sensation o f coolness on the tongue. It has a specific gravity o f 0.872 at 13~ and a boiling point o f 173.74~ A yellow, clear, and transparent oil (known as limbolee oil) is extracted from the seeds o f curry leaf (Drury, 1978). PESTS AND DISEASES The curry leaf tree is vulnerable to only a few diseases and pests, such as saprot
(Fomes pectinatus), collar rot o f seedlings (Rhizoctonia solanO, and a leaf spot (Phyllostictina murrayae) (Rangaswamy, 1975). The e c o n o m i c losses due to the
above diseases are minimal. The plant is grown presently in the backyards o f every south Indian home, but its nutritive value and medicinal properties have not been fully appreciated. Therefore, there is a need to popularize this leafy vegetable rich in vitamin A. Attempts are being m a d e to survey, collect and maintain germplasm o f curry leaf at the Kerala Agricultural University. LITERATURE CITED Aykroyd, W. R. 1966. The Nutritive Value of Indian Foods and the Planning of Satisfactory Diets, 6th ed, p. 53-58. Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. Balfour, E. 1976. EncyclopaediaAsiatica, 3rd ed, vol. 6, p. 1013. Cosmo Publications, New Delhi. Dastur, J. F. 1970. Medicinal Plants of India and Pakistan, 3rd ed, p. 115. Taraporevala Sons, Bombay. Drury, H.C. 1978. The Useful Plants of India, 2nd ed, p. 78. Allen, London.
1985]
JOSEPH & PETER: CURRY LEAF
73
Fyson, P.F. 1977. The Flora of the South Indian Hill Stations. I st ed, p. 102. Today and Tomorrows, New Delhi. Kirthikar, K. R., and B. D. Basu. 1935. Indian Medicinal Plants, 2nd ed, vol I, p. 474-475. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. Peter, K.V. 1978. Curry leaf--a good ingredient for vegetable preparations. Indian Farmers Digest 10: 13-14. Philip, J., K. V. Peter, and P. K. Gopalakrishnan. 1981. Curry leaf-- a mineral packed leafy vegetable. Indian Hort. 25: 2, 27. Pharmacognosy of Ayurvedic Drugs--Kerala. 1957. Dept. Pharmacognosy, Univ. Kerala, Trivandrum. No. 3, Series 34. Raghavan, R. S. 1957. Chromosome numbers of Indian medicinal plants. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., Sect. B. 45: 294-298. Rangaswamy, G. 1975. Diseases of Crop Plants, 2nd ed, p. 319. Prentice-Hall of India, New Delhi. Wealth of India. 1962. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, vol. 6, p. 446-448.
Reprints Available of Symposium on the U.S. Oilseed Industry from Germplasm to Utilization
Germplasm needs of oilseed crops Quentin Jones Genetics and breeding of oilseed crops P. F. Knowles Economics of oilseed production Harry O. Doty, Jr. Comparative processing practices of the world's major oilseed crops E. W. Lusas Utilization of commercial oilseed crops E. H. Pryde New oilseed crops on the horizon L. H. Princen Papers presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting, Society for Economic Botany. University of Alabama, 14-16 June 1982; symposium organized and chaired by Dr. L. H. Princen. Single reprint: $8.75--U.S.; $9.50--elsewhere. Order from Publications Office, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458.
1984 Lawrence Memorial Award
Mark W. Chase of the University of Michigan is the recipient of the 1984 Lawrence Memorial Award. A student of Dr. William R. Anderson, Mr. Chase has undertaken a revision of the neotropical genus Leochilus (Orchidaceae). He will use the proceeds of the Award for travel to Costa Rica for field research. The Lawrence Memorial Fund has been established at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Mellon University, to commemorate the life and achievements of its founding Director, Dr. George H. M. Lawrence. Income from the Fund is used to make annual awards of $1,000 to outstanding doctoral candidates for travel in support of dissertation research in systematic botany or horticulture, or the history of the plant sciences. Constituted initially by contributions from the Lawrence family and the Hunt Foundation, the Fund has been augmented by donations from Dr. Lawrence's friends and colleagues. Additional contributions are welcomed.
SALIKUTTYJOSEPH2 AND K. V. PETER3
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii, Rutaceae) is an important leafy vegetable and the leaves are widely used in Indian cookery for flavouring foodstuffs. The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and feebly acidic taste, and they retain theirflavour and other qualities even after drying. Curry leaf is also used in many of the Indian ayurvedic and unani prescriptions. The plant originated in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, India, and at present it is cultivated in Burma, Ceylon, China, Australia and the Pacific Islands. The crop is usually propagated by seeds. A volatile oil, curry leaf oil, produced from the plant has uses in the soap industry. There is need to conserve the variability in the plant to prevent extinction of desirable types.
In the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, India, cereals, horticultural crops, fodder, oilseed crops and other crops are grown intercropped or grown in adjacent fields. The region's highly fertile soil, vast reserves of underground water, and variety of temperate, subtropical and tropical climates have made possible the profuse growth and cultivation of many crops throughout the year. A visitor to this area will observe a shrubby plant grown unattended. Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. S. Joseph, 2606, Kerala Forest Research Institute Herbarium, Peechi, Trichur, Kerala, Rutaceae. Syn: Bergera koenigii Koen., Chaleas koenigii Curz ex Swingle) is that shrubby plant which took birth in this region (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935). Used as a flavourant and as a leafy vegetable by the early inhabitants, the Dravidians, curry leaf was introduced to southern India when the Dravidians moved south after the arrival of Aryans from Persia. Curry leaf adorns every houseyard of south India. The leaves are used mainly for seasoning and flavouring. Ground curry leaves with mature coconut kernel and adequate spices form excellent preserves. The plant has many medicinal uses in the ayurveda form of medicine so popular in India (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935). A volatile oil, a crystalline glycoside koenigin, and murrayin from the flowers are a few of the industrial products obtained from the tree (Pharmacognosy of Ayurvedic drugs, 1957; Wealth of India, 1962). GEOGRAPHICALDISTRIBUTION The curry leaf tree often forms undergrowth in forests throughout India and the Andaman Islands up to an altitude of 1,500 m (Wealth of India, 1962). Dastur (1970) recorded its wild form in the Garwhal Hills in Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Bengal, Assam, central India, western Ghats, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is also found in Burma, Ceylon, China, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Received 14 August 1981; accepted 7 August 1984. 2Assistant Professor, Collegeof Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, P.O. Vellanikkara, Trichur, Kerala, India. 3Professor of Horticulture, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, P.O. Vellanikkara, Trichur, Kerala, India.
Economic Botany, 39(1), 1985, pp. 68-73 9 1985, by the New York BotanicalGarden, Bronx, NY 10458
1985]
JOSEPH & PETER: CURRY LEAF
69
Fig. 1. Curry leaf (Murraya koenigil~.
BOTANY
Murraya, its generic name, commemorates Professor John Adam Murray of Gottingen (Fyson, 1977). This member of the Rutaceae is an unarmed, semideciduous, aromatic, pubescent shrub or small tree, 3-5 m high with slender but strong woody stem (Fig. l). The branches are covered with dark grey bark. The woody stem has a closely crowded, shady crown. Leaves are alternate, exstipulate, imparipinnate, 15-20 cm long, usually glabrous, sometimes slightly pubescent when young and very strongly aromatic. Rachis is slender, terete, and pubescent, often with a light reddish tinge above. Leaflets number 9-12 or more, short-stalked and alternate, ovate to ovate
70
ECONOMIC BOTANY
[VOL. 39
lanceolate, gland-dotted, and strongly aromatic. The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and feebly acidulous taste. They retain their flavour and maintain it even when moderately dried. The inflorescence is a terminal, pedunculate, many-flowered, compact, corymbiform, cymose panicle. The peduncles and pedicels are pubescent. The flowers are small, white, fragrant, about 1 cm long, subcompanulate, ebractiate or with minute bracts. Calyx is deeply 5-cleft and pubescent, petals number 5, free and spreading. Stamens are 10 and are attached around or outside the disc. Filaments are free, alternately short and long, linear, subulate and bear small and short anthers. Ovary is hypogynous and is seated on the disc, 2-celled with 1 or rarely 2 ovules in each cell. The style is elongate, cylindrical, thick and articulate. The stigma is capitate or grooved. Fruits occur in close clusters. They are small, ovoid or subglobose, apiculate and glandular. The berries are 1-2 cm in diameter with a thin pericarp and mucilaginous pulp enclosing 1 or 2 seeds. Fruits turn green to red and ultimately black on ripening. Seeds are nonendospermic with membraneous and glabrous testa. The embryo is small. CHROMOSOME NUMBER The curry leaf tree is a diploid with 2n = 18 (Raghavan, 1957). Its high-seeded nature, viability of seed and fertile progenies indicate the true diploid nature of the tree. RELATED SPECIES TWO species, Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack (indigenous to Burma), and Murraya exotica L. (Syn: Chaleas paniculata Mant., Camminum sinense Rumph., Marsana buxifolia Sonnerat) (indigenous to India, Ceylon, and China) are most closely related to Murraya koenigii (Balfour, 1976). The wood of Murraya paniculata, sometimes referred to as Chinese box wood or Andaman satin wood, is popular in the trade. Murraya exotica is a popular hedge and is well adapted for topiary. METHODS OF PROPAGATION
Curry leaf is usually propagated by seeds, but root suckers are also used with limited success. Attempts to propagate curry leaf through air layering have not been successful (Philip et al., 1981). Seeds germinate freely under partial shade. A spacing of 3-4 m has been suggested for planting seedlings (Wealth of India, 1962). Planting in the southernmost parts of India is mostly done just before the arrival of the southwest monsoon in May. It is possible to harvest leaves 15 mo after planting, and a fully grown tree is likely to yield about 100 kg of leaves per year.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE CROP
Leaves are used for flavouring curries and chutneys. Analysis of leaves (Aykroyd, 1966) gave the following values: water, 66.3%; protein, 6.1%; fat (ether extract), 1.0%; carbohydrate, 18.7%; fibre, 6.4%; mineral matter, 4.2%; calcium, 830 mg/100 g of edible leaf; phosphorus, 57 mg/100 g of edible leaf; iron, 7.0 mg/100 g of edible leaf; carotene (as vitamin A), 12,600 I.U./100 g of edible part; nicotinic acid, 2.3 mg/100 g; and vitamin C, 4 mg/100 g of edible leaf. Leaves are rich sources of calcium but due to the presence of oxalic acid in high concentration (total oxalates 1.35%, soluble oxalates 1.15%), the nutritional availability of calcium is affected (Wealth of India, 1962). The free amino acids present in the leaves are asparagin, glycine, serine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, theonine, alamine, proline, tyrosine, tryptophan, alpha amino butyric acid, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine and traces of ornithine, lysine, arginine and histidine (Wealth of India, 1962). A detailed comparison of nutritive values with other vegetables is presented in Table 1.
1985]
JOSEPH & PETER: CURRY LEAF
71
m .1 e~ m
0
m
Z 0 0
m
,-o
< m .1 ,v
0
Z
0 z
~ o
o
0 ~ o
~
~
o
~
0
M <
.1 m
~
o~
~ ~
~ 9
~-= ~~ ~'~'~
72
ECONOMICBOTANY MEDICINAL VALUES
[VOL.39
Curry leaf is used in m a n y o f the ayurvedic and unani medical prescriptions. The leaves and roots are slightly bitter, acrid, cooling, alexeric, anthelmintic and analgesic. Leaves and roots are reported (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935) to cure piles and allay heat o f the body, thirst, inflammation and itching. Bark and roots are used as stimulants. The green leaves are said (Drury, 1978) to be eaten raw for the treatment o f dysentery. External application o f pulped bark and root is reported (Dastur, 1970) to relieve eruptions and the bites o f poisonous animals. An infusion o f toasted leaves is used to stop vomiting. In the Punjab State o f India, the leaves are applied to bruises. The plant is credited with tonic and stomachic properties. The root is slightly purgative (Peter, 1978). T h e tribal peoples o f India, especially the Mundas, use its ground bark for a drink, and they rub the bark on the bitten limb as a snakebite remedy. The root is eaten and rubbed on for bodyache. The powdered leaf is used to aid in the healing o f fresh cuts, and a decoction o f the leaves is drunk for dropsy (Kirthikar and Basu, 1935). INDUSTRIAL USES Fresh leaves steam distilled under pressure yield a volatile oil (curry leaf oil) which m a y find use as a fixative for a heavy type o f soap perfume. It has a specific gravity (Wealth o f India, 1962) o f 0.9748 at 250C, a saponification value o f 5.2 and an acid value o f 3.8. The edible fruit yields a yellow, volatile oil with a nerolilike o d o u r and a pepper-like taste, accompanied by an agreeable sensation o f coolness on the tongue. It has a specific gravity o f 0.872 at 13~ and a boiling point o f 173.74~ A yellow, clear, and transparent oil (known as limbolee oil) is extracted from the seeds o f curry leaf (Drury, 1978). PESTS AND DISEASES The curry leaf tree is vulnerable to only a few diseases and pests, such as saprot
(Fomes pectinatus), collar rot o f seedlings (Rhizoctonia solanO, and a leaf spot (Phyllostictina murrayae) (Rangaswamy, 1975). The e c o n o m i c losses due to the
above diseases are minimal. The plant is grown presently in the backyards o f every south Indian home, but its nutritive value and medicinal properties have not been fully appreciated. Therefore, there is a need to popularize this leafy vegetable rich in vitamin A. Attempts are being m a d e to survey, collect and maintain germplasm o f curry leaf at the Kerala Agricultural University. LITERATURE CITED Aykroyd, W. R. 1966. The Nutritive Value of Indian Foods and the Planning of Satisfactory Diets, 6th ed, p. 53-58. Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. Balfour, E. 1976. EncyclopaediaAsiatica, 3rd ed, vol. 6, p. 1013. Cosmo Publications, New Delhi. Dastur, J. F. 1970. Medicinal Plants of India and Pakistan, 3rd ed, p. 115. Taraporevala Sons, Bombay. Drury, H.C. 1978. The Useful Plants of India, 2nd ed, p. 78. Allen, London.
1985]
JOSEPH & PETER: CURRY LEAF
73
Fyson, P.F. 1977. The Flora of the South Indian Hill Stations. I st ed, p. 102. Today and Tomorrows, New Delhi. Kirthikar, K. R., and B. D. Basu. 1935. Indian Medicinal Plants, 2nd ed, vol I, p. 474-475. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. Peter, K.V. 1978. Curry leaf--a good ingredient for vegetable preparations. Indian Farmers Digest 10: 13-14. Philip, J., K. V. Peter, and P. K. Gopalakrishnan. 1981. Curry leaf-- a mineral packed leafy vegetable. Indian Hort. 25: 2, 27. Pharmacognosy of Ayurvedic Drugs--Kerala. 1957. Dept. Pharmacognosy, Univ. Kerala, Trivandrum. No. 3, Series 34. Raghavan, R. S. 1957. Chromosome numbers of Indian medicinal plants. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., Sect. B. 45: 294-298. Rangaswamy, G. 1975. Diseases of Crop Plants, 2nd ed, p. 319. Prentice-Hall of India, New Delhi. Wealth of India. 1962. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, vol. 6, p. 446-448.
Reprints Available of Symposium on the U.S. Oilseed Industry from Germplasm to Utilization
Germplasm needs of oilseed crops Quentin Jones Genetics and breeding of oilseed crops P. F. Knowles Economics of oilseed production Harry O. Doty, Jr. Comparative processing practices of the world's major oilseed crops E. W. Lusas Utilization of commercial oilseed crops E. H. Pryde New oilseed crops on the horizon L. H. Princen Papers presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting, Society for Economic Botany. University of Alabama, 14-16 June 1982; symposium organized and chaired by Dr. L. H. Princen. Single reprint: $8.75--U.S.; $9.50--elsewhere. Order from Publications Office, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458.
1984 Lawrence Memorial Award
Mark W. Chase of the University of Michigan is the recipient of the 1984 Lawrence Memorial Award. A student of Dr. William R. Anderson, Mr. Chase has undertaken a revision of the neotropical genus Leochilus (Orchidaceae). He will use the proceeds of the Award for travel to Costa Rica for field research. The Lawrence Memorial Fund has been established at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Mellon University, to commemorate the life and achievements of its founding Director, Dr. George H. M. Lawrence. Income from the Fund is used to make annual awards of $1,000 to outstanding doctoral candidates for travel in support of dissertation research in systematic botany or horticulture, or the history of the plant sciences. Constituted initially by contributions from the Lawrence family and the Hunt Foundation, the Fund has been augmented by donations from Dr. Lawrence's friends and colleagues. Additional contributions are welcomed.
