An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of GorkhaHamilton, Francis
History
An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha
Hamilton, Francis
Nepal -- Description and travel; Nepal -- History
The _Hingwalka Chhota saral_, or small alpine fir, so strongly resembles
the common fir of the south of Europe, (_Pinus picca_, W.) that I can
perceive no difference in the foliage; but I have not seen the cones.
There is, however, probably some difference, for it is said never to grow
to a considerable size, and the leaves, if I can trust to memory, have a
much more agreeable smell than those of the common fir.
The _Hingwalka bara Saral_, or large alpine fir, is in fact the yew tree;
and although I have seen it in all its stages, I can perceive no very
essential difference between it and the tree of Europe. Its leaves,
however, are rather larger, and bent, (_falcata_.) Like the yew in the
north of Europe, it grows to a great size.
The _Bhuryapatra_ or _Bhurjapatra_ is a species of birch, the bark of
which resembles that of the tree common in Europe, in being separable
into fine smooth layers; but these are of a fine chesnut colour. This
bark is imported into the low country in considerable quantity, and is
used both in the religious ceremonies of the Hindus, and for constructing
the flexible tubes with which the natives smoke tobacco.
The _Sanpati_ is a small Rhododendron, which has a considerable affinity
with the kinds described in the Encyclopédie by the names of R.
linearifolium and ferrugineum. It is a shrub much like our sweet gale in
Europe, and its leaves are very odorous, and, even when dried, retain
their fragrance. It is used in fumigations, and sent to the low country.
The _Bhairopati_, although I have not seen the flower, is, I have no
doubt, another similar species of the Rhododendron, which has a great
resemblance to the kind called Chamæcistus. Its qualities are similar to
those of the former, but it is less fragrant. The man whom I sent to
Thibet brought, as the _Bhairopati_, a totally different plant, of which
the specimens so strongly resemble branches of the Cypressus sempervirens
meta convoluta, that I should have no doubt of its being this plant, were
it not that the man describes it as a shrub, and that its dried leaves
have a disagreeable sulphurous smell. It is, however, the Rhododendron
which is always sold in the shops of Hindustan as the _Bhairopati_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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