282 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



now called Euphorbia antiquortim ; nor did the younger Bur- 

 man {Fl. Ind. 110.) nor Willdenow {Sp. PI. ii. 881.) make any 

 change in the synonyma. This supposition, however, rests solely, 

 I believe, on the authority of Commeline, copied from one bo- 

 tanist to another, and taken up by him, I think, on inadequate 

 proof: and it must be observed, that C. Bauhin, a better autho- 

 rity, considered the Euphorbium to be quite a different species, 

 noAv called Euphorbia officinarum, which is a native of Africa. 

 Even the most accurate botanists speak too loosely on such sub- 

 jects : for instance, M. Lamarck, speaking of the juice of the 

 Schadida Colli {Enc. Meth. ii. 413.), " Ce sue epaissi et dessech6 

 constitue la gomme-resine connue dans les boutiques sous Je nom 

 d'Euphorbe." I ask, who ever saw this done ? He afterwards 

 indeed justly remarks, that the juice of the E. officinarum is more 

 commonly employed ; and in describing the latter plant he says 

 (/. c. 415.), " II decoule de sa tige, soit naturellement, soit par 

 incision, un sue laiteux, qui s'^paissit k I'air, se condense, et se 

 dess^che en petits morceaux friables d'une jaune pale, et qu'on 

 apporte en Europe, oil il est connu sous le nom d'Euphorbe." I 

 • ask again, who ever saw such a gum on the Euphorbium antiquo- 

 rum ? I have without success inquired for a gum produced by 

 this tree, in various parts where it grew in abundance. 



Ela Calli, p. 83. Jig. 43. 



Commeline only states, that this is a species of Euphorbium not 

 previously described : but what shows the loose manner in which 

 he wrote, he says " nullum est dubium, quin idem gummi cum 

 priore producat ;" although he admits that the gum of the former 

 was unknown in the country where it grows : " videtur autem 

 Malabaribus modus colligendi gummi esse incognitus." 



Plukenet considered the Ela Calli as his Tithymalus zeylanicus 

 spinosus arborescens {Aim, 369.), which had been described by 



Breynius 



