522 



Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



The younger Burman (Fl. hid. 68.), in imitation of Linnaeus 

 in the Species Plantation, gave the name of Nerium antidysente- 

 ricum to the plant of the Flora Zeylanica, 'changing the quotation 

 of a plant from Ray for one from Plukenet (Aim. 35.), which is 

 of a very doubtful nature, Plukenet merely proposing as a query, 

 if his plant may not be the Codaga Pala. But it is impossible 

 to say whether the younger Burman had in view the plant de- 

 scribed by his father, or the Codaga Pala. 



Willdenow (Sp. PL i. 1236.), leaving out the doubtful plant 

 of Plukenet, continues the Nerium ant idy sent ericum as he found 

 it, with the synonyma of the elder Burman and Rheede. 



In the EncyclopSdie (iii. 455.) the synonyma are little improved 

 by restoring that of Ray ; but the circumstance mentioned, of 

 the folliculi adhering together at the upper ends, would seem to 

 imply, that the author meant the plant of Burman, although the 

 medical qualities mentioned are borrowed from Rheede. 



Finally, in the Hortus Kewensis (ii. 68.) we have the Nerium 

 antidysentericum of Willdenow quoted for the JVrigJitia antidy- 

 senterica of Brown, which, from the generic character given bv 

 that excellent botanist (Prod. Nov. Hoi. i. 46?.), is certainly neither 

 the Nerium indicum of Burman, nor the Codaga Pala; but I have 

 no doubt is of the same genus with the Nelem Pala of the Hortus 

 Malabaricus (ix. t. 3 and 4.) ; but to this I shall again return. 



Dr. Roxburgh in his MSS., as they stood in 1796, described 

 a plant almost every part of which was strongly but agreeably 

 bitter, and which in almost every respect agreed so well with the 

 Codaga Pala, that he then had no doubt of its being the same, 

 and he called it Echites antidysenterica, as it belonged to this 

 genus. On my return from Ava, I showed him specimens and 

 a drawing of what T called the Echites pubescens, which seemed 

 to have equal claims to be considered as the Codaga Pala, the 

 figure of which in some parts looks as if hairy ; and it is this 



circumstance 



