342 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
13. Tur Karrton Tree (Kapziov). 
Laurus (Cinnamomum) Sp.(?) Pandanus odoratissimus (?) 
Ktesias’s description of this tree, according to Photios,’ is as follows : 
“¢ But again there are certain trees in India as tall as the cedar or the 
cypress, having leaves like those of the date palm, only somewhat 
broader, but having no shoots sprouting from the stems. They pro- 
duce a flower like the male laurel, but no fruit. In the Indian 
language they are called pupovda, 7. e. unguent roses. These trees are 
scarce. There oozes from them an oil which is wiped off from the 
stem with wool, from which it is afterwards wrung out and received 
into alabaster boxes of stone.” 
The nature of this tree has been much discussed. In some respects 
the description suits the Pandanus, the flowers of which yield, on dis- 
tillation, a fragrant oil which is called Heora by the natives, and in 
these particulars, especially its palm-like habit, it corresponds least well 
with the characteristics of the cinnamon. Mr. M‘Crindle’s arguments 
in favour of its identification with the latter are of considerable 
cogency, though certaimly not conclusive. He says: ‘‘I have little 
doubt that the Sanskrit Aarpura, Camphor, is substantially the same 
as the Tamil-Malayalim Karuppu (oil of cinnamon), and Ktesias’ 
Kapzvov, seeing that it does not seem to have any root in Sanskrit, 
and that camphor and cinnamon are nearly related. The camphor of 
commerce is obtained from a species of laurel (Laurus camphora, 
Nees.),” but this tree is not found in India, and it is believed that 
camphor itself was not known to the Greeks. Altogether it may be 
doubted whether a complete solution of the difficulty can be obtained. 
It is probable, however, that Ktesias jumbled together the charac- 
teristics of some species of Zawrus with those of the screw pine (Pandanus 
odoratissimus ). 
14, Cassta (Kaocia). 
Laurus cassia, Roxb., &c. 
The term cassia appears to have been applied to different substances 
by the ancients, ten varieties are mentioned in the Periplus. They 
were producede hiefly from different species of Cinnamomum, but other 
plants wholly unallied to the laurel family may, it is thought by some 
authors, have contributed aromatic substances which were included in 
the same general denomination. As this subject has been dealt with 
by most commentators, more need not be said of it here. 
04 Heloga in Photii, Bib}. Ixxii. 28. 
105 According to some authorities this is only a synonym for Z. tewmnala. 
