284 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



{Fl. Ind. 111.) the plant of the Flora Zeylanica with all the syno- 

 nyma is called Euphorbia neriifolia ; but a new quotation, the 

 Ligularia of Rumphius {Herb. Amb. iv. 88. t. 40.), is introduced ; 

 and, being evidently the kind with an angular stem, is probably 

 the one meant by Burman, as he continues the term " angulis 

 oblique tuberculatis" in the specific character, and as the plant 

 was common : yet what Rumphius says should have deterred 

 Burman from quoting the Ela Calli ; for mentioning the affinity 

 of the Ligularia with the Ela Calli, Rumphius says, " hac in re 

 autem parum difFerunt, quod Amboinensis truncus sit pentago- 

 nus et contortus instar fili." 



M. Lamarck {Enc. Meth. ii. 415.), although he quotes both 

 the Ela Calli and the Ligularia, evidently shows that he meant 

 the latter, as he mentions that its branches have five angles ; and 

 this is the kind common still in the gardens of Europe. He had 

 probably observed that there was a difference in appearance 

 between the plants of Rheede and Rumphius, as he says, " Elle 

 perd ses angles, et ses epines dans celles de ces parties qui ont 

 vieilli :" but the extreme leafy branches of the Ela Calli are 

 cylindrical, as appears from the figure. 



Willdenow {Sp. PL ii. 885.) quotes both Ligularia and Ela 

 Calli ; but, although he hints at no difference, he continues pro- 

 bably to mean the former. The Hortus Kewensis (ii. 157-), in 

 quoting neither one nor the other, leaves us still perhaps more 

 in the dark concerning his meaning. 



Although it would thus appear that the Ligularia has long 

 been known in Europe, and was in fact the plant generally 

 meant for the Euphorbia neriifolia since the time of Linnaeus, 

 yet it is by no means a common plant in the southern parts of 

 India proper. Dr. Roxburgh, I know, had never noticed it twenty 

 years ago ; nor did T see it until I went to the north-east parts of 

 Bengal in 1807. Previous to these times. Dr. Roxburgh and I 



had 



