202 Dr. Francis Hamiuron’s Commentary 
Medicce amplioribus foliis Maderaspatana” (Alm. 41. t. 147. f-3.); for between 
two of the leaves in the very imperfect figure there is an appearance of stipulae, 
as in the Gardenia ; and in fact, the leaves in the figure are more like those of 
. à Gardenia than those of the Ponna, which I do not recollect having seen near 
Madras, although it is common on the opposite coast of Malabar. Besides, if 
Plukenet was right in considering the * Nux oleosa Dhumba Zeylonensibus dicta,” 
as the same with his “Nux Bengalensis Juglandi folio, fructu orbiculari,” he has 
probably described the Ponna under that name, as Domba is its Ceylonese 
name. He indeed says that this Nux Bengalensis was procured from the 
Island of Barbadoes, nor can any leaf be more unlike that of the Ponna than 
the Walnut. In another part, however, he says, that he received the branch 
from the East Indies under the name Ponakai, that is, the fruit Pona, no doubt . 
the same with Ponna. Notwithstanding, therefore, the unfortunate comparison . 
of the leaves with those of the Wall-nut-tree, we may consider the Nux Ben- 
galensis Juglandis folio, fructu orbiculari as the Ponna. It is true, that this 
tree is not a native of Bengal, nor is Punakai a Bengalese word, but belongs 
to Malabar. The ship, however, that brought the specimen may have last 
come from Bengal. In the passage of Plukenet last quoted, he confounds the 
Dhumba and Ponna with the Red-wood of Barbadoes and several other Ame- 
rican trees, especially the Log-wood. "This is no doubt erroneous; but it is 
possible that the Ponna, as Plukenet alleges, may be the Palma Maria, used 
by Spanish seamen for masts, because the tree so used by our English seamen 
is called Poon, nearly the same word with the Punna of Rheede, which from 
its size and form is well suited for the purpose. "The Poon used, however, by 
our seamen I have heard of as rather a production of the Eastern Archipelago 
than of Malabar; and I presume that it is the Calophyllum angustifolium of 
the Hortus Bengalensis (41.), called Poon by the Malays. 
Rumphius (Herb. Amb. ii. 215.) considered the Ponna as the same with his 
Bintangor maritima (p. 211.), although he admits that there are some dif- 
ferences, especially in so far as the Ponna is not stated to be a maritime plant 
like the Bintangor. The fact however is, that although Rheede does not call 
it a maritime plant, yet he says, * provenit ubique in Malabar locis nimirum 
arenosis.” Now iu this province such places are found only along the shore ; 
and it is there only where I have seen it growing spontaneously (Buchanan's 
