3\4 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ^ [anNO 1758. 



bus Pruniferis. Linneus, in his Species Plantarum, places them under the title 

 enneandria monogynia, by the name laurus. The leaf, flower, and fruit, of 

 this plant, are particularly described by Mr. Ray. 



The leaf is smooth and shining; has one large vein running through the midst, 

 and a remarkable one on each side; the middle one generally running near the 

 length of the leaf. The leaves differ in shape, some being more acute, others 

 more oval or obtuse. The flowers grow in an umbel, somewhat like the laurus 

 tinus ; but they are small, consisting of one petal, of a tubular form at the bot- 

 tom, and divided at the top into 6 segments in the form of a star. The flowers 

 are succeeded by berries growing out of a capsula, like acorns in shape; which 

 berries contain a shining seed. Mr. Ray's description of the flower, in his De- 

 scription of the Cinnamon of Malabar, is extremely accurate; as is also the figure 

 in the Hortus Malabaricus, N° 54, and the description, fol. 107, under the 

 name carua. Mr. W. therefore refers to those. 



The matter of the present inquiry is, whether the cinnamon of Ceylon is the 

 same sort of plant with that growing in Malabar, Sumatra, &c. differing only 

 by the soil or climate in which it grows, which is the opinion of Garcias ; or 

 from the culture or manner of curing the plant, as Mr. W. is inclined to be- 

 lieve; or whether it is really a different genus or species of plant, as many people 

 believe, and some botanical writers seem to indicate. The distinction therefore, 

 which these writers would make us believe there is between these plants, consists 

 in the leaves of the one being oval, the other sharp-pointed; and that the nerves 

 are limited at the bottom in the cinnamon, but not so in the cassia : for as to 

 the semper florens, mentioned by Burman, that must undoubtedly be common 

 to both. 



Now as to the different shape of the leaves, we know how often this happens 

 by seminal varieties, and from the age of plants, as in the leaves of holly and 

 ivy ; and that even the shapes of leaves vary greatly on the very same plant, and 

 sometimes on the same branch; as in the ash, and many other plants, the leaves 

 of the young shoots are more oval than those on the old boughs, which are ge 

 nerally more pointed. But this variety, is much more frequent in the plants of 

 warm countries. In the sassafras, part of the leaves generally near the bottom 

 of the plant are plain, while the other leaves are divided into 3 lobes or segments. 

 There are also great differences in the leaves of almost every one of the American 

 oaks. In the Virginian cedar, the berries of the same plant produce some plants 

 with juniper leaves, and others with leaves like the savin ; and some plants with 

 both leaves growing on the same plant. 



Burman has, in his figures of 2 of these plants, made them extremely differ- 

 ent. In that of Ceylon he has made all the leaves oval ; and to make the dif- 

 ference greater, has drawn the rudiments of the berries; to which he has added 



