on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part IT. 209 
CARAMBU, p. 95. fig. 49. 
Commeline gratuitously annexes the word Maram, or tree, to 
the generic word Carambu, which is a herb from 11 to 2 feet 
high; and is no where mentioned by Rheede as being applied 
to the Carambu. On the strength of this word, however, joined 
to the plant having a fruit shaped externally like a clove, he 
considers it as a species of Caryophyllus or Clove-tree ; for his 
words will not admit of our supposing that he meant the herba- 
ceous Caryophyllus, which would have been a rather more for- 
tunate conjecture. 
Plukenet, adhering still somewhat to the resemblance to the 
. clove, which is indeed striking, but seeing the absurdity of com- 
paring a low, insipid, annual plant with an aromatic tree, calls 
it after Hermann, Lysimachia indica non papposa, flore luteo mi- 
nimo, siliquis Caryophyllum aromaticum æmulantibus ( Alm. 235.). 
I think it probable, although he no where quotes the Carambu, 
that the elder Burman mentioned it by the name of Lysimachia 
indica, aquatica, glabra, flore flavo, siliqua angulosa, stellata (Thes. 
Zeyl. 146.), which is mentioned by Linnæus (FI. Zeyl. 498.) by 
the name of Dyanilla. 
Linnæus in the Flora Zeylanica (66.) quotes the Carambu for 
his Ludwigia; and, from the description which he gives, he no 
doubt saw the plant of Rheede: but then he considers the Dya- 
nilla as different, and says that his Ludwigia is the Kikirinda of 
the Ceylonese, which Burman called Lysimachie species fructu 
caryophylloideo (Thes. Zeyl. 146.), and considered as the Nir 
Carambu of the Hortus Malabaricus, which is a Jussieua ; and 
all the other synonyma quoted by Burman, right or wrong, point 
to the latter genus. Whether or not any transfer of names in 
Hermann's collection had taken place in the interval between 
Burman’s inspection and that of Linnzus, I cannot say; but it 
YOL. XIV. 2 R is 
