

BOTANICAL ORIGIN OF GAMBOGE. 333 



tree cultivated on their plantation at Singapore. These speci- ise*. 

 mens I carefully examined comparing them with published de- Examination 

 scriptions and figures, as well as with specimens contained in the of s P ecimuus - 

 herbaria of the British Museum, of the Eoyal Gardens of Kew, 

 and of the Linnean Society in which investigation I had the 

 valuable assistance of my friend Professor Oliver. The correctness 

 of Dr. Christison's observation respecting the pedicellate flowers 

 was immediately obvious, and it was also evident that the plant, 

 but for this character, bore a strong resemblance to Garcinia 

 elliptica ; we noticed further that it came equally near to the 

 G. Morella of Desrousseaux. Under these circumstances we 

 thought it desirable to obtain the opinion of Mr. Thwaites, who, 

 besides being an excellent botanist, was familiar with various 

 species of Garcinia in a living state and especially with 

 G. Morella. Mr Thwaites, after examining specimens of the 

 Singapore gamboge-tree, which we had sent to him in Ceylon, 

 replied that the plant was, in his opinion a form of G. Morella, 

 scarcely differing from the Ceylon type, except in having 

 pedicellate instead of sessile flowers. This opinion was com- 

 pletely in accordance with that of Professor Oliver and other 

 botanists whose opinion I had asked ; and I therefore felt 

 warranted in bringing the plant before the Linnean Society, in 

 whose Transactions a figure of it has been published. 



Messrs. D'Almeida informed me that the number of gamboge- 

 trees cultivated on their plantation is twenty-eight. Gamboge 

 has at various times been extracted from them, but rather, it 

 would seem, as an object of curiosity than for the purposes of 

 commerce. (Transact Linnean Soc., xxiv, 487 ; N. Repert. /. 

 Pharm., xiv. 1.) 



ON THE BOTANICAL ORIGIN OF SAVAN1LLA 

 EH AT A NY. 



( Ursprung der Ratanhia von Savanilla.) 



IT is a fact well known to druggists that the Ehatany root, 1865. 

 which formerly found its way into European commerce from 

 Peru, has to a great extent been superseded by another and very 



