on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part II. 243 
Ossar.of P. Alpinus, which would seem to imply, that he rightly 
considered these as the same, but doubted of this Egyptian 
plant being his A. procera, which is a native of Persia. For the 
A. gigantea the only figure quoted by Willdenow (Sp. Pl. i. 1264.) 
is the Fricu, and that of Seba, said to represent the Ameri- 
can plant. Although he does not quote the Madorius, he ad- 
vances, on the authority of Rumphius (vii. 25.), that this plant 
kills cattle unaccustomed to its use. "The only authority for 
this is Knox, in his account of Ceylon, who attributes such 
powers to a plant, which he calls Capita gauha (Capita herba), 
and which Rumphius, on very inadequate grounds, considers as 
the Madorius. Where M. Lamarck procured his account of the 
virtues of this plant I cannot say : ** Son suc laiteux est acre et 
caustique; elle cause le mort aux animaux qui en mangent." 
The latter part is evidently taken from Knox: on what weak 
foundations the former part rests we may judge from Rumphius, 
** Jac amaricans, adstringens ac tandem in ore nauseosum dulces- 
cens, sine ulla tamen ardore vel acredine." The plant, however, 
is much used in medicine by the natives of India, and from its 
sensible qualities may be possessed of considerable powers. In 
Bengal the milk mixed with salt is applied to rheumatic swell- 
ings, and the leaves heated with butter are applied to the same 
complaint. 
- Willdenow in describing the A. syriaca (Sp. Pl. i. 1265.) 
quotes some of the synonyma, which Plukenet and Commeline 
had erroneously conjoined with the Bel Ericu, and especially the 
Beid el Ossar of Veslingius, which Willdenow properly states 
to be different from the Beid el Ossar of P. Alpinus: but he con- 
joins with it an American plant, and would at first sight seem to 
consider America as its only proper country. ** Habitat in Vir- 
ginia, circa Astracan.” We cannot however suppose, that he 
thought Astracan a place in Virginia; and must allow that, by a 
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