on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part IF. 207 



the Calaba of America ; but he properly observes, that he possessed only the 

 American kind, which was also probably the case with Linnaeus ; and he 

 suspects, with reason, that the Asiatic plant is different. 



Mallam Toddali, p. 83. tab. 40. 



The Malabar genus Toddali, called Bori by the Brahmans, is very unnatural, 

 this and the following species having only a very slight resemblance in the leaf, 

 and none at all to the Kaka Toddali described in the next volume (p. 81.). In 

 his note Commeline does not venture to class this species, although it has the 

 utmost affinity and resemblance to a tree of the South of Europe which was 

 well known to tlie early botanists, who called it Lotus s. Celtis. 



Plukenet was equally unfortunate in tracing an affinity to the Mallam Tod- 

 dali. When he first mentioned it in the Almagestum (237-), he quoted as 

 synonymous the name given to it by Ray, who was no more successful than 

 himself, calling it " Baccifera Lidica racemosa, Jlorum stamimilis, binis, &c." 

 From this it would appear that Ray was not aware of Rheede having described 

 a female plant alone, and of his having mistaken the styli for stamina. Plukenet 

 afterwards {Aim. 329.) suspected, without, however, being certain, that the 

 Mallam Toddali might be his " Salvifolia arbor orientalis foliis tenuissime cre- 

 natis" {Phyt. t. 221. f. 4.), which, indeed, is probably a Celtis, but certainly a 

 different one from the Mallam Toddali, as it has pedunculus solitarius, uni- 

 Jlorus, and the loaves much too narrow. 



Even Linnaeus, when he published the Hortus Clijfortianws, erred far in 

 classing the Mallam Toddali with the Uhnu-s, although this was no doubt some 

 approximation to a true arrangement, both belonging to the same natural 

 order. When, however, he published the Flora Zeylanica, he had become 

 sensible that the Mallam Toddali was of the same genus with the Celtis, or 

 Lotus of old botanists, and called it '^ Celtis foliis oblique cordatis subtus villosis" 

 {Fl. Zeyl. 369.), adding to it the Arbor Ghcvduba dicta, s. Gcedhumba, of Her- 

 man and Burman {Thes. Zeyl. 26. 102.), although they had not perceived this 

 to be the same with the plant of Rheede. Linnceus also included among the 

 sjTionyma the tree of Plukenet, which I have mentioned as diffi;rent, and an 

 American tree described by Sloane, and perhaps by Plumier, although the 

 latter was quoted with doubt. 



