Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentary, ^c. 79 



much to be regretted that in the indexes to the Ilortus Mala- 

 baricus, not only in the work itself, but in the Flora Zeylanica of 

 Linnteus, and Thesaurus Zcijlanicus of Burman, the plants have 

 been arranged according to their specific, and not according to 

 their generic names ; for in the dialects of India, as well as in 

 English, the specific name usually precedes the generic. There 

 are some exceptions : — the Malabar words Mar am signifying a 

 tree, Kodi a sarmentose plant, lalli a climber, Pullu a grass, 

 and Maravara a parasitical plant, are usually placed after the 

 generic term, being properly denominations of classes or orders. 

 In the same manner Ghas Gar/a or Gaha (herba, planta) in the 

 dialect of Ceylon is to be considered not as denoting a genus, 

 but a class or order. Keeping this in mind, the classification 

 of the natives may be readily discovered, and in general will be 

 found to show a considerable accuracy of observation. 



The name Karete/a, said to be given to this palm by the 

 Brahmans of ]\Ialabar, I cannot explain ; unless we suppose it 

 composed of two v/ords, Kare and Tela, the former signifying 

 wild ; and the latter may be the same with Tala or Tali, the 

 Ceylonese name. This is obviously the same with Tal, the 

 name given in the north of India to the Borassus flabelUformis, 

 to which the Codda Panna has a very great resemblance. The 

 term Ghas G ay a or Gaha, annexed by the Ceylonese, I have 

 already explained ; but the word Pot added to Tali is the same 

 with Pata or leaf, annexed because the leaf of this palm is the 

 part most commonly used. 



Commeline, in the note annexed, seems to have an unneces- 

 sary doubt in referring to the Codda Panna C. Bauhin's Arbor 

 foliis sex brachiorum longis, cujus folio extenso très quatztorvc mri 

 ill itinere operiuntur, ut pluvias non rnetuant. Except in coining 

 a new name, Ray, as usual with Indian plants, gives us no 

 knowledge but what is derived from Rheede ; and the same is 



the 



