196 Dr. Francis Hamittron’s Commentary 
Arbor mediocris, succo pellucido turgidus. Ramuli teretes, tomentosi. Folia 
alterna, oblonga, basi obtusa, acuminatissima, integerrima, costata, venis 
minutissime reticulata, supra nudiuscula, subtus pilosa.  Petiolus brevis- 
simus, teres, sulco supra exaratus. Stipule gemmacez, caduce. 
Flores non vidi. Pedunculi fructiferi axillares, sed folio deciduo plerumque 
nudati, sepius ex eodem axillo quatuor bis bifidi, petiolo paulo longiores. 
Bacca pisiformis, echinata, alba, composita e receptaculis circiter duodecem, 
receptaculo communi insidentibus, pulposis, apice umbilicato semina toti- 
dem gerentibus. Semina ovata, dura. 
Kari, seu Karin, p. 75. fab. 36. 
Commeline’s arrangement, in calling it drbor prunifera, is à very rude 
attempt at classification, which, however, seems to have been quite satisfac- 
tory to the botanists of the day; for Plukenet, in imitation of Ray, not only 
called this an Arbor prunifera, but * Prunus pentaphylius Malabarica fructu 
calyct insidente” (Alm. 306. ; Phyt. t. 218. f. 4.). He, indeed, changed the 
Indian name Kariil into Kary/; but there can be no doubt, from the figure, 
that the Kara is meant. 
The elder Burman (Thes. Zeyl. 170.) seemed to think that this was the 
same with the Telabo of the Ceylonese, a tree with a remarkably foetid wood. 
Rheede does not mention any such quality ; and it is not likely to exist in the 
Karil, as he says, “odor radicis terreus,—foliorum sylvestris." Burman, indeed, 
was so very careless in his synonyma, that little attention can be paid to his 
opinion. The Telabo by Herman had been called “Nux Zeylanica folio multifido 
digitato, flore merdam olente,” of which Plukenet gives a figure (Phyt. 1.208. f.3.) 
representing the Sterculia fætida, and as usual quotes (Alm. 266.; Mant. 137.) 
as synonymous all trees with an excrementitious smell, whether from Africa, 
Asia or America, or regardless of the part—flower or wood—which thus affects 
our senses. Burman, however, not only quotes for the 7e/abo the Karil of 
Rheede and Plukenet, but the Telabo of the latter, although he admits that 
Ray considered this as rather the Cavalam of Rheede (Hort. Mal. i. t. 49.), 
which is no doubt the Sterculia Balanghas, as different as possible from the 
Karil ; for this latter evidently belongs to the order of Verbenacew, and Rheede 
says of his Karil, * flores suaveolentes." 
