Dr Wight on the Laurus Cassia of Linnceas, 25 



T^ylanica, but is tlie Litsea Zeylanica of a former work of his 

 ■ — a name which, I presume, must be restored, owing to the 

 other being preoccupied. The slight difference of structure 

 does not seem to render a new genus necessary. The second 

 and third haA'e both been referred, by the same eminent bo- 

 tanist, to his variety of the true cinnamon, the Cinnamomum 

 Zeylanicum, a decision to which I cannot subscribe, as I can- 

 not perceive that either of these figures are referable to any 

 form of that species, and they besides differ specifically from 

 each other. 



The Cinnamomum perpetiio-florens appears to me a per- 

 fectly distinct species, very nearly allied to, if not actually 

 identical with, Nees' own species C. stdphuratum, of which 

 I have now got specimens from Ceylon. This I infer from 

 the appearance of the plant as represented in the figure ; for, 

 if any dependence is to be placed on the description, it is 

 impossible to admit it into the genus. On this, however, I 

 do not feel disposed to place much reliance, as it was not the 

 practice a century ago, when the description was written, to 

 examine the structure of flowers with the same care that is 

 now bestowed. Should it be objected, that the species I quote 

 as the C. perpetuo-florens is clothed with yellowish pubescence, 

 which is not mentioned by Burman, then I have another from 

 the same country (Ceylon) perfectly glabrous, agreeing in the 

 form of its leaves, but diftering in having more numerous and 

 smaller flowers, which may be substituted, and that I do not 

 think it, more than the other, a variety of the genuine cinna- 

 mon-tree. 



The Malabar plant Carua (Hort. Mai. i. tab. 57), on the 

 other hand, I consider a very passable figure of a plant, in 

 my herbarium named, by Nees himself, Cinnamomum iners ; 

 but whether or not I am right in the species to which I have 

 referred it, I can have no hesitation in giving it as my opinion 

 that it is not referable to any form of the C. Zeylanicum ; 

 neither can I agree with him in thinking the plant figured 

 under the name of Laurus Cassia in the Botanical Magazine, 

 \o. 1636, is referable to the Ceylon species, but is, I think, 

 very like the Malabar one, the only species of the genus to 

 which the name Cassia should be a])plied, if that name is still 

 to be retained in botanical nomei)cIaturc, as being the only one 



