on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part II. 233 
which has pomum subrotundum, but to the D. Stramonium of Lin- 
næus. This mistake in the older writers has occasioned the vir- 
tues of the Hummatu to be referred to the D. Stramonium (Enc. 
Meth. vii. 460.), which does not grow in Malabar: but it is not 
unlikely, that both plants may have nearly the same powers. 
The name Dotiro, given to this plant by the Brahmans of 
Malabar, is evidently the same with the Dutra or Dhutura of the 
Gangetic provinces, corrupted from the Dhustura of the San- 
scrita. This name has spread under the various corruptions of 
Dutroa, Daturo, Datura, Datula, and Lutroa to Europe, Turkey, 
Persia, and the great archipelago of Asia; and, having been 
unknown to the Greeks and Romans, would seem to show, that 
India is the proper native country of this plant; although other 
species, introduced in modern times from Egypt and America, 
have acquired the same name among botanists. 
The Hummatu is by Plukenet called the Stramonia seu Dutroa 
fructu spinoso rotundo, flore candido ( Alm. 358.), while its double 
variety is his Stramonia indica flore amplo albo pleno, a name taken 
from Breynius. He has added to its synonyma two belonging 
to American plants, which probably should rather have been 
referred to the Datura Stramonium : and at the same time he 
considers as different the Stramonia s. Datura pomo spinoso 
rotundo longo flore (Alm. 358.). I believe that the chief diffe- 
rence between the two plants is in the colour of the flower, 
which in the latter is purple. This, however, in a plant half 
cultivated, and therefore liable to considerable variation, is an 
insufficient distinction. Among the synonyma which Plukenet 
quotes for the Hummatu, is the Stramonium minus s. Nur Metel 
flore albo of Parkinson, who called it thus, because a kindred 
plant is the Metel of the Arabic language. This latter was 
called Nur Metella or Metel by the early botanists, who pro- 
cured it from Egypt: but it is with justice probably considered 
as 
