238 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary 



other reason, I should altogether reject, until demonstrated, the supposition of 

 a tree found spontaneous in Malabar, being spontaneously produced in Crete 

 under the form of a shrub. 



Plukenet separates the Pee Vetti from the plant of Alpinus, but joins it with 

 the Solanum verticillatuvi of J. Bauhin, and the Solatium somniferum veiticil- 

 latum of C. Bauhin, and the Solanum somniferum of Parkinson, to which he 

 annexes an American plant mentioned by Hernandez and Ray; and these 

 now constitute the Pkysalis somnifera, said to be a native of Mexico, Crete, 

 and Spain {IVilld. Sp. PI. i. 1020.), in which I suspect some mistake. 



The elder Burman described a plant of Ceylon, which he called Alhehengi 

 somniferum Cydonice folio, Jlore etfructu rubris {Thes. Zeyl. 10.). This, I think, 

 I know well, and it is totally different from the Pe J'etti, which Burman enu- 

 merates among the synonyma, joining to it not only the synonyma given by 

 Commeline, but those given by Plukenet; that is to say, he considers the 

 Solanum verticillatum of Plukenet {Aim. 352.) as the same witii the " Solantmi 

 verticillatuvi virginiense latifoUuni molle, floribiis obsolete rubris, baccis luteis" 

 of the same author (I. c.). It is probable that Burman was induced to do this 

 by Plukenet's having included among the synonyma of both plants some that 

 belonged to a plant of America, and some that belonged to the plant of Asia. 

 The latter I know, and it is, no doubt, that found in Ceylon. 



Linnjeus in the Flora Zeylanica (96.) describes the plant of Ceylon under 

 the name of " Phy salts caule fruticoso tei-eti, foliis ovatis integerrimis,Jloribvs 

 confertis" adding to it not only the Pe Vetti, but the plant of Southern Europe. 

 He, however, quotes none of the American synonyma. 



The younger Barman, however, copying probably the Species Plantarum, 

 gives us the Pee Vetti and the shrubby plant of the Thesaurus Zeylanicus for 

 the Physalis flexuosa (Fl. Ind. 54.), rejecting not only all the American syno- 

 nyma, but those belonging to the plant of Southern Europe. Nor has any 

 change been made since by Willdenov/ {Sp. PL i. 1020.). M. Lamarck, how- 

 ever, {Enc. Mdth. ii. 100.) returned to tiie errors of the Flora Zeylanica, and 

 makes the Pee Vetti not only the same with the Physalis flexuosa, but con- 

 siders this as a mere variety of the Physalis sotnnifera of Europe. 



In the Hortiis Kewensis (i. 393.) the Pe Vetti continues to be quoted for the 

 Physalis flexuosa, although there is not the smallest chance that the plant in 



