116 Dr. Francis Hamilton's Commentarij 



utrociue longitudinaliter déhiscentes. Germinh in corollse 

 fundo rudimentum depressum. 



NuRVALA, p. 49. tab. 4G. 



Commeline in his note mentions the resemblance between this 

 tree and the Tapia of Brazil described by Piso ; but he only 

 says, " Putamus duas hasce arbores, si non easdem, saltern esse 

 species persimiles." Plukenet (.J//«. 34; P/ii/t. t. 137. f. 7.) 

 described what he called Apioscorodon, on account of its having 

 the smell of Garlic, and seems uncertain whether he should 

 refer it to the Nurvala of India or Tap/a of Brazil. He had also 

 procured another plant from America, which he called Arbor 

 Americana iriphy/la, niimerosis stamimdis, piirpurcis apicibiis prœ- 

 ditisfloris mnbUicum occupantibus {Aim. 47 ; i'hijt. t. 147../. 6.), 

 which he also refers with doubt to the Nurvala ; thus probably 

 implying that he considered all the three as belonging to the 

 same genus. 



In the Flora Zeykmica (211.) Linnaeus mentions the Nurvala 

 from a drawing taken in Ceylon by Hermann, and considered it 

 as without doubt the same with the first plant of Plukenet, which 

 in the Ilortus Cliffortianus he had called Cratceva inermis ; but 

 the Nurvala has not the smell of Garlic : folia manibns conj'ricia 

 suaveolentia — florum odor suavissimus ct vinosus — fructus odoris 

 vinosi : while the leaves of the American plant, as represented by 

 Plukenet, are much broader in proportion to their length than 

 those of the Niirvala. But further, Linnœus along with the 

 Tapia of Brazil and the Niirvala of India, joined the second 

 plant of Plukenet, above mentioned, from Jamaica ; for although 

 he does not quote Plukenet twice, he quotes a plant described 

 by Sloane and Ray, which is no doubt the same with that of 

 Plukenet; and this also has the smell of Garlic. The younger 

 Burman (F/. Lid. IO9.), although Linnœus in the Species Flan- 



fa)ii!/i 



