222 NATURAL AFFINITIES—INFERENCES. 
ander favorable conditions produces fine-sized stalks. The 
seed heads are very stiff and erect, and the seed vessels 
are compact and very close. It usually takes three and a 
half months to reach maturity, and it ratoons very quickly, 
as the following memorandum of my diary will show: 
‘December 13th. Cut down a small patch of imphee, and 
dug up the ground for the purpose of planting arrow-root, 
but some of the imphee not being entirely eradicated, 
sprung up afresh, some roots having fifteen stalks each. 
On the 18th of February, one of them (Shla-goon-dee) 
was upwards of six feet in height, with a thick stalk, and 
the seed head just thrown out, being only two months-.and 
five days from its being cut down and apparently de- 
stroyed.? This bunch of seed I gathered during the first 
week in March, and I have it now in England. 
“ Zim-moo-ma-na. This is likewise a sweet and good 
variety, with seed heads upright and compact, and fine 
plump seeds, very numerous. 
“ E-both-la, Boo-e-a-na, Koom-ba-na, See-en-gla, Zim- 
ba-za-na, and E-thlo-sa, form the remainder of the fifteen 
varieties, each differing slightly from the others in its 
saccharine qualities, as well as in appearance, but still 
easily distinguished from each. other by any one who has 
studied them.” ’ 
It will be seen from the above descriptions, that the 
imphees now most commonly grown in this country have 
already suffered considerable modification. The Neea- 
zana and Oomseeana have improved. 
