174 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



tion which my esteemed friend Mr. R. Brown has bestowed on 

 the vegetable kingdom. It is only by extending such examina- 

 tion much further, that the real value of each distinctive cha- 

 racter can be ascertained ; but, until this has been accomplished, 

 I doubt the propriety of introducing so many new natural orders 

 as has been done of late. I could rather indeed wish to see se- 

 veral of Jussieu's orders united into one, than to have each torn 

 into portions that deserve only to be called genera. 



Having thus premised what appears to me necessary for ex- 

 plaining this genus called Kaida by Rheede, I must now pro- 

 ceed to examine his four species, all of which his commentator 

 Commeline considered as having been previously unknown to 

 botanists. Perhaps he was so far right, that the accounts pre- 

 viously given were so incomplete, that the notices contained in 

 former writers could only be considered as belonging to the ge- 

 nus, and not sufficient to ascertain the species which had been 

 seen. 



The Kaida however of Rheede is justly entitled to be consi- 

 dered the prototype of the genus, and therefore, as usual among 

 the Hindus, is not marked by a specific name. It is entitled to 

 this pre-eminence by the great fragrance of its male flowers, 

 which renders it always in request with the natives of India ; and 

 it is likely to have been shown by them to the curious from 

 Europe, as one of their most interesting vegetables. On this 

 account I should suspect that this is probably the Ananas bravo 

 of Acosta, the Arbor fructii Aimnas ex caudice emergentt, niicleis 

 turgente of C. Bauhin, and the Ananas sylvestris, folio aloes, 

 fructu cupressino of J. Bauhin, and almost certainly the Frutex 

 indicus fructu aggregato connideo Kaida dicta of Ray; although, 

 not being able to consult these authors at present, I do not 

 know what objections there may be to this opinion. 



Plukenet, having received from southern Arabia a species of 



this 



