APPENDIX. No. V. 469 



probably Glycine subterranea of Linneus, the Voandzeia oC IVI. du Petit 

 Thouars,* or Voandzou of Madagascar, where it is generally cultivated.f 



Of the indigenous fruits, Anona senegalensis, Sarcocephalus, a species of 

 Cream fruit, and Chrysobalaniis Icaco, have been already mentioned, as trees 

 common to the whole line of coast. 



A species of Ximenia was also found by Professor Smith, wlio was inchned 

 to consider it as not different from X. amerkana : its fruit, which, according 

 to his account, is yellow, the size of a plum and of an acid, but not disagree- 

 able taste, is in the higher parts of the river called Gangi, it may therefore 

 probably be the Ogheghe of Lopez,| by whom it is compared to a yellow 

 plum, and the tree producing it said to be very generally planted. 



An Antidesma, probably like that mentioned by Afzelius, as having a fruit 

 in size and taste resembling the currant, is also in tlie herbarium. 



It is particularly deserving of attention, that the greater part of the plants 

 now envuuerated, as cultivated on the banks of the Congo, and among them 

 nearly the whole of the most important species, have probably been introduced 

 from other parts of the world, and do not originally belong even to the continent 

 of Africa. Thus it may be stated with confidence that the Maize, the Manioc 

 or Cassava, and the Pine Apple, have been brought from America, and proba- 

 bly the Papaw, the Capsicum, and Tobacco; while the Banana or Plantain, the 

 Lime, the Orange, the Tamarind, and the Sugar Cane, may be considered as 

 of Asiatic origin. 



In a former part of this essay, I have suggested that a careful investigation 

 of the geographical distribution of genera might in some cases lead to the 

 determination of the native country of plants at present generally dispersed. 

 The value of the assistance to be derived from the source referred to, would 

 amount to this ; that in doubtful cases, where other arguments were equal, it 

 would appear more probable that the plant in question should belong to that 

 country in which all the other species of the same genus were founcl decidedly 

 indigenous, than to that where it was the only species of the genus known to 

 exist. It seems to me that this reasoning may be applied with advantage 



• J^'ov. Gen. Madagasc. n. 7T. + Flaccurt Madagasc. pp. lU el 118. 



+ Pignfelta, Bartweirs Translal. p. l\5. 



