CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF AROIDEOLOGY. 201 
cunculus and Serpentaria dictum, etc. Even Conophallus, already men- 
tioned in 1692. by Rheede (Mal. xi. p. 37, t. 19), under the name of 
Mulenschena, and again noticed by Tournefort and Burmann (Fl. Zeyl. 
p. 90; 1737), was not classed amongst the sufficiently-known plants. 
The plant which, according to Roxburgh, is d * Kundi " in 
Sanskrit, Tacca phallifera by Rumphius (Amb. v. 326, t. 113, f. 2; 
1690) ; Schena by Rheede (Mal. xi. p. 35, t. 18; 1692); and drum 
polyphyllum Ceylanicum by Commelyn (Hort. Amst. i. p. 99, f. 52; 
1706),—the Armorphophallus,—was also completely overlooked in the 
‘Species Plantarum.’ Alocasia Indica (Arum Indicum, Roxb. Fl. Ind. 
iii. 498 ; Wight, Icon. t. 794), which is identical with drum sylvestre 
or Arum Indicum sylvestre of Rumphius (Amb. v. 310, t. 107), and of 
which we received living specimens from Java, and dried ones from 
Amboyna, collected by Doleschal, and accompanied by the remark, 
* Herba gregaria in umbrosis crescens, foliis ad 3' altis, spatha pallide 
sulphurea," was not introduced in Linnzeus's work, probably on account 
of the want of clearness in the representations, and the many vaguely- 
indieated subspecies, which could only lead to misconceptions and con- 
fusion. Nor were Alocasia commutata or Leucocasia admitted, both 
of which seem to have been known as cultivated plants, as would 
appear probable from Rumphius’s description of Arum Indicum sativum, 
which is divided into Arum sativum majus, drum sylvestre, and Arum 
Æygyptium, whose first division, Arum sativum majus, ** iterum dividitur 
in tres species” (Rumph. 1. c. p. 308), of which one “ gerebat fructus 
spithamam longos; quorum caude (spatha, spadix) albicant, uti et in- 
feriora ipsorum ossicula seu granula (baceze), que tandem sine rube- 
dine marcescunt ;" the others ** majoribus granulis Pisa referentibus. . . . 
Hee nunquam penitus rubent, sed lutea sunt ; Arum sylvestre estque 
etiam in tres species subdivisum, latifolium, medium seu vulgare et 
aquaticum.” Only Alocasia macrorrhiza, whose “ flos albicat et odorem 
suavissimum spirat " (Herm. Parad. p. 73), whose petioli “ inferior 
ars... sulcata est oris reflexis," whose “ folii lamina costis crassis, 
robustis ac parallelis, ad inferiorem partem protuberantibus ad digiti 
crassitiem ;" of which is said, “quum superior ejus vagina (spathe) 
pars sese aperiat, cauda ista forlem sed haud ingratum fundit odorem 
(Rumph. 1. c.), could be recognized, as afterwards confirmed by Forster 
(Pl. Escul. Ins. Austr. p. 58; 1786) and R. Brown (Prodr. N, H. p. 
336; 1810), in “Arum maximum macrorrhizon " of Hermann, and 
ro 
