200 HEXANDRIA DIGYNIA. Qrijza. 



The popular belief, that Bamboos often take fire by the 

 violence of their friction, duriug those hot, dry months, 

 when, what is called, the land wind prevails, is support- 

 ed by the Sanscrit stanza, quoted by Sir William Jones, 

 (See As. Res. vol. 4. jj. 254,J of which the following is a 

 copy. 



"Delight of the world, beloved Chandana, stay no long- 

 er in this forest which is overspread with rigid pernicious 

 Vansas, whose hearts are unsound ; who being themselves 

 confounded in the scorching stream of flames, kindled by 

 their mutual attrition, will consume not their own families 

 merely, but this whole world." 



HEXANDRIA DIGYNIA. 



ORYZA. Schreb. gen. n. 609. 



Calyx, glume two-valved, onc-flovvered. Coral two- 

 valved, growing to the seed. Nectary two-leaved. 



Of this genus I have found only two species, but of 

 the first, sativa, there are between forty and fifty varie- 

 ties known to, and cultivated by the Indian farmers ; they 

 seem all to have sprung from the wild sort called New- 

 aree by the Telingas, and from it the following descrip- 

 tion is taken. 



O. saliva.'' Willd. 2. 247 Sjc. ^c. 



Panicle diffuse. 



Unoo, Dhanya,Vriht,the Sanscrit names of the cultivat- 

 ed sort, and Nivara the wild variety, called by the Telin- 

 gas Newaree, Aruz of the Arabians. 



* An improper name, certainly for the original wild plant 

 which is never cultivated ; however as custom has established it for 

 the numerous varieties thereof, I cannot well attempt to alter it in 

 describing what I take for the original, wild stock, from whence all 

 the cultivated varieties have sprung, which I am now describing. 



