on the Hortus Malabaricus, Part III. 129 



Malabar, I suspect should have been written Naga Champo, the 

 latter word being the same with the Tsjampokain of the vulgar 

 dialect, while the specific term Naga implies that the tree is con- 

 nected with the divine serpent, although it must be confessed, as 

 we shall see, that another derivation is given. 



Plukenet {Aim. 90.), adhering to the opinion of Commeline, 

 called this tree Costauca rosea Indica. Linnaeus (F/.Zeijl. 203.) 

 quoted it for the second variety of his Mesiia foliis hniccolatis, his 

 first variety being the Arbor Naghas sive ferrea of Jîurman (T/ies. 

 Zeyl. 25.). This author says, that in the Ceylonese dialect Naglias 

 or Naghalm implies Arbor ferrea. Ghas or Ghalia no doubt 

 signifies a tree or plant ; but Na is quite different from any 

 Indian name of iron that I know of; and I suspect that the name 

 should have been written ISlag' Ghas or Nag Ghaha, the serpent's 

 tree. I observe nothing in the account of Burman that should 

 lead to a suspicion of his plant being in any respect different 

 from that of Rheede. Willdenow has however joined it with 

 the Nagassariian of Rumphius (Herb. A tub. vii. 3. t. 2.), which, 

 if not a different species, is at least a very remarkable variety ; 

 as it is a small tree {tr uncus non ultra sex pedes extensus), with 

 leaves less than those of the Willow, and like those of the Olive ; 

 nor has its fruit the four remarkable ribs so conspicuous on 

 that of the Belutta Tsjampakam. So great indeed is the diffe- 

 rence between the two plants, that the younger Burman consi- 

 dei'ed them as belonging to two distinct genera {Fl. Ind. 121.), 

 the plant of Rumphius being his Calophyllum Nagassariun?, and 

 that of Rheede his ISlcsun ferrea, as it is that of Linnœus. This 

 supposition of the two plants belonging to different genera I 

 have no doubt is an error ; and the plant of Rumphius, which is 

 pretty common in the North-east of Bengal and in A va, is no 

 doubt a Mesua, but I am inclined to think of a different species 

 from the tree described by Rheede, which however I have not 



VOL. XV. s seen. 



