on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part II. 273 



ture of their involucrum was similar, and totally different from 

 that of the other plants which he placed in the same genus. 

 But this argument should have fallen to the ground, when he found 

 that he had placed them wrong, and called them Tragic invo- 

 lucrata {Burm. Fl. Ind. 294.), quoting both the narrow and broad 

 leaved kinds for the same species. The most essential difference 

 between the two plants, and which might perhaps not be ob- 

 servable in dried specimens, is, that the Schorigenam seems 

 to be an erect plant ; for Rheede, speaking of the Valli Schori- 

 genam (79-)» says, "a prima (i. e. a Schorigenam) non differt 

 nisi quod hie sit Convolvulus : " and again, " Schorigenam est 

 frutex altitudine trium pedum." Now the scandent nature of 

 Burman's narrow-leaved plant is apparent even in his drawing : 

 and Willdenow {Sp. PI. iv. 324.), having seen the plant alive, 

 adds to the specific character " caule scandente." Although, 

 therefore, he continues to quote the Schorigenam as well as Bur- 

 man's plant, it seems clear that he meant the latter only, and 

 should have quoted the Valli Schorigenam as synonymous, while 

 the Schorigenam of Malabar or Walkahahilia of Ceylon is a very 

 distinct species. 



Although M. Poiret places the Tragia involucrata among the 

 species that have a climbing stem, yet he still continues {Enc. 

 Meth. vii. 723.) to join with it the Schorigenam ; but he alters 

 the specific character of Willdenow, who has the folia ovata like 

 the Schorigenam, in place of sublanceolata like the Kahahilia. 

 The fact however is, that in the twining plant the leaves vary 

 much in shape from ovate to nearly lanceolate, as Linnaeus 

 justly observed, which probably induced him to join the Schori- 

 genam with the plant of Burman, having overlooked the erect 

 stem of the former. Owing to this variable form in the leaves 

 of the twining plant, the question is not, whether it is the same 

 with the erect Schorigenam ; but whether it be different from 



the 



