071 the Hortus Malaharicus, Pari III. 83 



sylvestris Malobarica, folio acuto, fvuctu Pruni facie. The spe- 

 cific name Katou implies sylvestris ; and Indel is evidently the 

 same name with Indi, which, according to Plukenet {Aim. 277.)» 

 the natives of Ceylon give to the Date-palm. Palma si/lvestris 

 is therefore a translation of Katou Indel. The P/uvnix dactyli- 

 fera, which was the Palma first known to the learned of Europe, 

 according to Plukenet is distinguished by the Ceylonese specific 

 name Malta (great) prefixed to Indi ; Avhile he mentions another 

 kind, called by the Ceylonese Hin Indi, which he describes as 

 Palma dactylifera minor humilis, sylvestris, fructu minore. (Aim. 

 277-) This he considers as difi'erent from the Katou Indel ; but 

 the elder Burman [Thes. Zeyl. 183.) considered them as the same. 

 I should have no doubt that Burman was in the right, were there 

 not another species of thesa me genus {Phœnix fariuifera , Hort. 

 Beng. 73.) to which the term humilis is more applicable ; for the 

 Katou Indel is fully as large as the Phœnix dactylifera. Neither 

 Plukenet nor Burman, however, says any thing specific concern- 

 ing the size of the Hin Indi ; only the term humilis applied to it, 

 is used also by Plukenet for the dwarf Palm of Spain {Chamœ- 

 rops hu?nilis), which is of a similar size with the P hœnix farinifei^a , 

 and does not approach near in magnitude to the Katou Indel. 

 I therefore refer the Hin Indi to the Phœnix farinif era, which is 

 a very common plant on all the hilly country between the Ganges 

 and Cape Comorin. I have, however, great doubts of the Maha 

 Indi of Ceylon being the proper Date of Arabia, or of its being 

 difterent from the Katou Indel, which I know is very common in 

 Ceylon ; but I never heard of proper Dates being produced 

 either there or in any part of India. It is true that in the 

 gardens of the curious I have seen a feAV trees imported from 

 Arabia ; but I never saw these produce fruit. It is also true 

 that I consider the Katou Indel as merely the wild plant of the 

 same species with that which is cultivated in Arabia and Africa : 



M 2 but 



