488 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



zeylanica religiosa of Burman (Thes. Zeyl. 29), from whence the 

 specific name was borrowed. In the Encyclopedic Methodique 

 (ii. 493.) the Arbor conciliorum is considered as a variety of A realu ; 

 but I have no doubt of their being entirely different species. 

 Although the Arealuwas particularly sacred among the heretical 

 sect of Buddha, and is the Bo-dhi been chiefly venerated among its 

 adherents in Ava ; yet the veneration for it was too deeply seated 

 among the populace to be eradicated ; and among the orthodox 

 of the day, it and the next tree hold nearly an equal place. 



Peralu, p. 4^9. Jig. 23. 



This tree was described by Commeline under the name of Fi- 

 cus bengalensis folio subrotundo, fructu orbiculato, which in the 

 first edition of the Species Flantarum was united with an Ame- 

 rican tree figured by Plukenet (Phyt. t. 178. f. 1.) to form the 

 Ficus bengalensis. Plukenet considered his plant as the same 

 with the Toiakela of Rheede (Hort. Mai. iii. t. 64.), to which in- 

 deed it has as great a resemblance as the Peralu ; but it is not 

 likely that an American Ficus should be the same with either. 

 His plant, however, still continues united with the Peralu in 

 Willdenow ; and, although not mentioned in the Hort us Ke wen- 

 sis, is perhaps the plant meant in that work, as Sloane's MSS. 

 are quoted, and these probably relate to a plant of Jamaica. 



When the Peralu was added to the Ficus bengalensis I can- 

 not exactly say ; but probably it was by Linnaeus when he pub- 

 lished the second edition of the Species Plant arum. In the En- 

 cyclopedic Methodique (ii. 494.) the American plant of Plukenet, 

 with its synonyma, was so far separated from the Peralu, as to 

 be considered a remarkable variety ; but in treating of the Pe- 

 ralu, the compiler of this useful work has been led into a great 

 mistake in supposing it to be the Pipala of the Hindus ; for al- 

 though equally sacred with the tree so called, it is the Vata of 



the 



