DRUGS. 



of the use of Saffron, and Dioscorides describes it. Theophrastus mentions 

 three kinds of Crocus. Crocus, as Dr. Lempriere tells us, was a beautiful 

 youth enamoured of a beautiful nymph, &c. and turned into this flower. 

 Kunkuma is also a name of Rottleria tinctoria in Telinga. See " Con- 

 diments and Spices.'* 



Iris florentina. Linn. Florentine Iris. 



Linn. Syst. Triandria Monogynia. 



The root, Orris root. 



Vernacular. Irsa, Sosun, Hind. Jyrsa, Ussulus-sosun-ul-assman- 

 joonee, Arab. Beg-banopsha, Pers. ? 



Habitat. South Europe. 



Remarks. The ipis of Hippocrates, Theophrastus, and Dioscorides. 

 The Kiddah of the Bible is translated in the Septuagint Iris, but by St. 

 Jerome Cassia. The word Iris, according to Calmet, is derived from the 

 Hebrew Ir, " one who watches," " an angel," or " messenger of God," and 

 Iris, according to the Greeks, was the " messenger of the gods." Royle 

 considers the Shushan of the Bible, translated lily, to be the Iris, and to 

 be the same as the Syriac Suseana. The Orris root of commerce consists 

 of the rhizomes not only of Florentine Iris, but also of German and Pale 

 Turkey Iris. See also " Miscellaneous '' Class. 



N. O. 237. AMARYLLIDACEJE. AMARYLLIDS. 

 Crinum asiaticum. Linn. Poison bulb Crinum. 



Linn. Syst. Hexandria Monogynia. 



The bulb. 



Vernacular. Vishamandala, Sans. Sookhdursoon, Burra-kamoor t 

 Beng. Nagdoun, By. Belluta-pota-tali, Mai. Veshimoonghi, 

 Tarn. Veshamungaloo, Keshara-chettu, Lakshminarayana t Tel. 

 Maha-tolabo, Cey. 



Habitat. East Indies and China. 



Remarks. Sprengel thinks this may be referred to by Theophrastus 

 amongst the bulbous plants he describes, Lib. vii. ch. 13. Nagdoun is the 

 Hindee for Artemisia vulgaris, and the Persian for Asparagus. 



N. O. 238. HYPOXIDACE^E. HYPOXIDS. 

 Curculigo brevifolia. Ait. Hort. Kew. 



Linn. Sytt. Hexandria Monogynia. 



The root stalk. 



Vernacular. Mooslee-kund, By. 



Habitqt. Concans, Malabar, CoromandeK 



.89 t 



