Ancient Plants of Egypt. 27 
No.2. The Fruit Diospyros Lotus. Polygamia Diecia 
Plaqueminier ; the Lotus. 
The fruit of the Diospyros does not form part of the 
Egyptian collection in the museum of the Louvre. It has 
been recently discovered by M. Passa-Lacqua, and now 
constitutes a part of the Berlin museum. M. Kunru, a 
distinguished botanist, has decided that this fruit belongs to 
the genus Diospyros, a species of lotus, which, I believe, 
modern botanists refer to the genus Celtis of 'THropHrastus. 
No. 3. Myrobalan d’Egypte, of Rauwotr; Balanites Egyptiaca, 
Detitie, Fl. Egypte; Xymenia Egyptiaca, Desronraines; 
El Eglyg, of the Arabs of Fazoql; £/ Ka, of the Heathens. 
Decandria Monog. Terebintacee. 
This ancient fruit was discovered in a little votive basket, 
which had served to contain offerings to the gods of Egypt, 
and it is frequently found in the coffins of mummies. ‘This 
Myrobalan is furnished with a sort of spongy bark, more 
or less thick; the pellicle which covers it in its state of anti- 
on is of a red colour, sometimes shadowed with violet. 
he stone is marked longitudinally, the sides forming five 
to six rather saliant angles; the shell is rather thick; the 
interior of the shell is filled by a kernel of a reddish brown 
colour, containing a quantity of very fat oil, black, rancid, 
and excessively acrid. The most marked character of this 
Myrobalan of Egypt, and which distinguishes it from all the 
other species, is a kind of spongy circle, placed at the point 
of insertion of the pedunculus, and which surrounds this 
0 like a little crown. 
y investigation was directed to a very remarkable cir- 
cumstance, which was, that the little basket that contained 
the Myrobalan, contained also Myrrha and Bdellium, in 
large fragments. Is this rencontre the effect of chance? or 
is it an indirect indication that Myrrha and Bdellium are 
produced from a vegetable of this genus? And what con- 
tributes to add some weight to this supposition is, that several 
druggists and apothecaries of my acquaintance have fre- 
quently brought me the nuts of the Balanistes, which the 
had found in cases of Bdellium, and which I have also myself 
collected, in a similar way, among some recently imported. 
My opinion on the Tree that produces the Myrrha and Bdellium, 
Myrrha and bdellium are often found among the substances 
that served for the process of embalming the ancient Egyp- 
tians; and balanistes is found also among them. I have 
sought to explain the origin of the word Myrobalanus, and I 
