196 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



Arhor mediocris, succo pellucido turgidus. Hamuli teretes, tomentosi. Folia 

 alterna, oblonga, basi obtiisa, acuminatissima, integerrima, costata, venis 

 minutissime reticulata, supra nudiuscula, subtus pilosa. Petiolus brevis- 

 simus, teres, sulco supra exaratus. Stipulce gemmacese, caducse. 



Flares non vidi. Pedunculi fructiferi axillares, sed folio deciduo plerumque 

 nudati, ssepius ex eodem axillo quatuor bis bifid i, petiolo paulo longiores. 



Bacca pisifonnis, echinata, alba, composita e receptaculis circiter duodecem, 

 receptaculo communi insidentibus, pulposis, apice umbilicato semiua toti- 

 dem gerentibus. Semina ovata, dura. 



Kariil, seu Karil, p. 75. tah. 36. 



Commeline's arrangement, in calling it Arhor prunifera, is a very rude 

 attempt at classification, which, however, seems to have been quite satisfac- 

 tory to the botanists of the day ; for Plukenet, in imitation of Ray, not only 

 called this an Arbor prunifera, but " Prunus pentaphyllus Malaharica fructu 

 calyci insidente" {Aim. 306.; Phyt. t. 218. /. 4.). He, indeed, changed the 

 Indian name Kariil into Karyl; but there can be no doubt, from the figure, 

 that the Kariil is meant. 



The elder Burman {Thes. Zeyl. 1/0.) seemed to think that this was the 

 same with the Telabo of the Ceylonese, a tree with a remarkably foetid wood. 

 Rheede does not mention any such quality ; and it is not likely to exist in the 

 Karil, as he says, "odor radicis terreus,—foliorum sylvestrisT Burman, indeed, 

 was so very careless in his synonyma, that little attention can be paid to his 

 opinion. The Telabo by Herman had been called "Niix Zeylanica folio multifido 

 digitato,flore merdani olente," of which Plukenet gives a figure {Phyt. t.208.f.3.) 

 representing the Sterculia fcetida, and as usual quotes {Aim. 266.; Mant. 137-) 

 as synonymous all trees with an excrementitious smell, whether from Africa, 

 Asia or America, or regardless of the part — flower or wood — which thus affects 

 our senses. Burman, however, not only quotes for the Telabo the Karil of 

 Rheede and Plukenet, but the Telabo of the latter, although he admits that 

 Ray considered this as rather the Cavalam of Rheede {Hort. Mai. i. t. 49.)^ 

 which is no doubt the Sterculia Balanghas, as different as possible from the 

 Karil ; for this latter evidently belongs to the order of J^erbenacece, and Rheede 

 says of his Karil, "flares suaveolentes.'" 



