254 Mr. Wurte’s Description and Natural History 
of the upper border of the corolla, presents a most delicate con- 
trast. ^" | tori 
The shortness of its roots may relate to some hidden properties 
of its organic ceconomy ; or these may be compensated by the 
greater proportion of the leaves, absorbing more copiously from 
the air, and thus contributing to tlie formation of that elaborate 
essence which we so much admire in the perfect spice. 
It may be expected that we should give some account of the 
name and the history of its comnierce. 
In Botany, the history and origin of names are so far useful, 
as they are immediately or remotely connected with the elucida- 
tion of the subject i in question, the indication of its virtues, or the 
nation who first introduced its use, and the channels, if an article 
of trade, through which it first flowed to civilized countries. 
In Malabar, ‘the native soil of its best species, it is simply 
named Ela, or Ela-tari and Ela-channa; the former addition signi- 
fying a young plant, the latter a full-grown one. The word 
channa includes also some congeners, one of which, Poián- 
channa, is so like the real Cardamom in appearance and foliage, 
as with difficulty to be distinguished by these marks only. 
The ripe pod is styled exclusively Ela-tari, ari in Malabar 
signifying any small grain: e.g. ari rice, mout-ari natcheny Or 
raggee. he ees 
Indiscriminately they also say Ela-kai, the last word being of 
general application to all kinds of perfect roots and seeds. In 
Sanskrit, the most common appellative is Ela. The synonyms are 
no fewer than 10, viz. Elum* Walakum, Mailayum, Songani, Hari 
Walakum, Waleyiegum, Moukana, Kouna, Kounara, Agni-jivala, 
* My authority tells me that Elum is the casus rectus or nominative here, and that it 
becomes varied into Ela in the oblique inflections, or when annexed to other words 
; which; govern it. Thesame grammatical variation is also observed in the Malabárlanguage. 
Moudriwadine. 
