202 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



When the younger Burman published the Flora Indica (53.) 

 matters had not improved. He quotes for his Musscenda fron- 

 dosa the Flora Zeylanica, his father's Thesaurus^ the Folium Prin- 

 cipisscB without distinguishihg the two species, and the Belilla. 

 He indeed omits both plants of Ray ; but he quotes the plant 

 with yellow bracts described by D. Pryon in words nearly the 

 same with those used by our great English botanist. 



In Willdenow {Sp. PL i. 997-) the synonyma for the Belilla or 

 Mussanda frondosa undergo no change for the better. He adds 

 indeed a quotation from Vahl, and restores both the synonyma 

 of Ray, omitting the name of D. Pryon : but from these changes 

 nothing enables us to say which plant he meant. This passage, 

 however, from the note annexed (Bractea altera cujusvis pedi- 

 celli enata in folium album) may enable us to infer, that his spe- 

 cimen belonged to the species described and figured by the elder 

 Burman. 



M. Lamarck, however in general accurate, having totally mis- 

 taken the character of the Gardenia, in supposing it to have a 

 berry divided into two or four cells, naturally enough reduced 

 the Mussanda frondosa to that genus, calling it Gardenia appen- 

 diculata, with the synonyma as in Willdenow, Vahl excepted 

 {Enc. Meth. ii. 608.) ; but it would appear that his specimens 

 belonged to the plant of Rheede, as the leaves were sharp- 

 pointed and hairy, the flo^vers red, and the white leafy appendix 

 proceeded from the calyx. He indeed adds, that the flowers 

 have " une odeur aromatique fort agreable ;" while Rheede 

 says, *' suntque odoris nullius." As his specimens were com- 

 municated by M. Sonnerat, probably in a dry state, we may 

 perhaps be allowed to suppose that this sweet smell is taken 

 from the account given by Rumphius of the Folium Principissce 

 latifolium, which is certainly a species totally different from that 

 given by M.Lamarck {III. Gen. 1. 157. f. 1.), and marked 6. c. </, 



which 



