304 Dr. Francis HAMILTON’s Commentary 
flore pentapetalo, fructu caryophylloide of Ray, which is probably 
the same plant; but then he united it with a plant of Sloane, and 
with the Herba Vitiliginum of Rumphius, both having yellow 
flowers, and with the Kikirindia of the Ceylonese. Some mis- 
take, I have mentioned in treating of the Carambu, seems to have 
happened to Linnzus respecting the Kikirindia, which is pro- 
bably a plant in much request with the natives of Ceylon, as it 
has no less than five other names. Now the Nir Carambu in all 
parts of India is much used as a vegetable in the dishes of the 
natives, and therefore is likely to have many names. 
Linnzus, joining the Nir Carambu with the plant of Ray 
already mentioned, called it Jussiæa repens, floribus pentapetalis 
decandris, pedunculis folio longioribus ( Fl. Zeyl. n. 169.), which in 
the Species Plantarum became the Jussiæa repens. It is remark- 
able, that in the Flora Zeylanica no Ceylonese name should be 
attached to a plant so common and so much used ; while no less 
than six names are given to the insignificant Ludwigia. This con- 
firms me in the suspicion already mentioned, that some transpo- 
sition of names has taken place, and that the Lysimachiæ species 
fructu caryophylloideo Kikirindia zeylonensibus of Hermann and 
Burman (Thes. Zeyl. 146.), with all its additional barbaric names, 
actually belong to the J'ussiæa repens, while the Dyanilla (Linn. 
FI. Zeyl. 498.) is the Ludwigia diffusa or Carambu. 
It would indeed appear, when the younger Burman published 
the Flora Indica (103.), that he, and probably Linnæus, had 
become sensible of this mistake in the Flora Zeylanica ; for 
among the synonyma of the J. repens we have the Lysimachia 
fructu caryophylloideo Kikirindia zeylonensibus of Burman, thus 
setting every thing right: but by some fatality this quotation is 
omitted by Willdenow, who refers to the Flora Zeylanica alone 
(Sp. PL. ii. 574.), and does not mention Burman ; and the same 
is the case with M. Lamarck (Enc. Meth. iii. 330.). I think, 
therefore, 
