on the Hortus Malabaricus, Fart I. 523 



circumstance almost alone that distinguishes my plant from that 

 of Dr. Roxburgh. It must however be observed, that the latter 

 is much more bitter, and therefore is more likely to possess 

 powerful medical qualities. Those however ascribed to the 



Codaga Pala rest on slender foundation, the people employed 

 by the worthy Dutch Governor to report the medical qualities of 

 the plants he described, appearing to have been endowed with 

 a very moderate share of judgement. 



Reserving for another occasion what more I have to say con- 

 cerning the Wrightia antidysenterica, 1 shall now give an account 

 of the two plants quoted by Linnaeus for t\ic Cerium antidysente- 

 ricum, hoping thus to render the account of the Codaga Pain 

 more clear than it has hitherto been. 



Since I returned from Ava (171X>) I have had frequent oppor- 

 tunities of seeing the Echites pubescent in various parts of India, 

 and I have also met with the smooth-leaved plant described bv 

 Dr. Roxburgh, who in the Hortus Bengalensii does not quote the 

 Codaga Pala for his Echites antidy sent erica. Whether or not he 

 thought that the Echites pubescens had a better claim, I cannot 

 say : for my own part, I continue doubtful. The leaves in 

 Rheede's description are neither said to be smooth nor hairy 

 and the terms in which he speaks of the bitterness (saporis amari, 

 et minus pungent is) do not imply any great intensity ; while the 

 Echites pubescens is bitter, somewhat with the flavour of Broom, 

 although not nearly so strong in taste as the E. antidysenterica : 

 and these are almost the only points in which the plants differ. 

 Leaving the Echites antidysenterica to the account of Dr. Rox- 

 burgh, I shall describe the Echites pubescens, of which the spe- 

 cimens and drawings sent from Ava are probably in the collec- 

 tion of Sir Joseph Banks, and a copy of the drawing is in the 

 Company's Library, while I have given to this collection speci- 

 mens of both plants. 



Echites 



