262 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



suras caulis oritur spica cum unico flosculo femineo." Now, in 

 the Codi Avanacu the spica is not situated as thus descii'ibed, but 

 is axillary, as Ray indeed expressly notices ; for he called the 

 plant Lathyris frutescens friictu in foliorum alis echinato. 



The younger Burman, having had the advantage of the Species 

 Plantarum, calls this plant Tragia C/iamalea, and omits altoge- 

 ther the Esula of his father ; but continues as synonymous with 

 the Codi Avanacu his Chamalea and Tithymalus, already quoted, 

 although the latter is an aquatic plant, while the Codi Avanacu 

 grows in sandy and rocky places. Which he meant I cannot say. 



If, therefore, the Chamcelea of Burman was the plant which 

 Linnaeus described, the Tithymalus of Burman seems to have 

 been wisely omitted by Willdenow {Sp. PL iv. 326.), who gives 

 a new specific character, in which the folia integerrima are 

 omitted. In quoting Rheede he follows the error of the plate, 

 and in quoting Burman he perverts the cyphers, having table 52 

 in place of 25. 



M. Poiret (Enc. Meth. vii. 726.) continues the synonyma as 

 left by the younger Burman, and gives a specific character in- 

 cluding the folia integerrima. He had not seen specimens, and 

 seems to have drawn his account almost entirely from the elder 

 Burman . 



In the Hortus Kewensis (v. 256) the Cadi (Codi) Avanacu alone 

 is quoted, and the plant seems to have been sent by Dr. Rox- 

 burgh ; but whether he had sent seed procured from the coast of 

 Coromandel, where he had seen and described the plant {Tragia 

 Camolia, Hort. Beng. 103.), or whether he had sent part of the 

 seed procured from China, I cannot say : but the plant which I 

 found growing at Calcutta from the last-mentioned seed, is no 

 doubt the Codi Avanacu. 



Ana 



