348 
subsequently adopted by Roxburgh and most other botanists. More 
recently,* however, it has been replaced by Andropogon squarrosus, 
a name adopted by the younger Linnaeust for a plant, also com- 
municated by Koenig, who found it “ circa Zeylonam natans supra 
stagna profundiora,” and entirely distinct from Andropogon 
muricatus. The specimen is still in Linnaeus’ herbarium and was 
correctly identified by R. Brown{ with his Panicum abortiwum, 
that is Chamaeraphis spinescens, a characteristic floating grass of 
the Indo-Malayan region. Retzius$ himself is responsible for the 
erroneous reduction of Andropogon squarrosus to Andropogon 
muricatus, which recently has been revived, although Roxburgh] 
long ago drew attention to the confusion. ‘ Zizanioides’ being the 
earliest specific epithet, it will have to be adopted for the ‘ Khas. 
Khas,’ so that its name under Vetiveria must be V. zizantoides. pp, 462. 
USES OF THE ROOTS.—Koenig, in a note reproduced by Retzius, 
remarks: “Tamulis Woetiwaer. Radices ab indigenis usitat- 
issimae ob gratum odorem quem aqua irroratae spargunt. Hx his 
Flabella praecipue parantur quae pennis Pavonum ornantur.” 
This property of the roots of ‘Khas Khas’ of emitting a 
pleasant odour as often as they are wetted and as long as 
they are wet was also mentioned by Jones{@ in 1795. It 
has led from early times to their being woven into screens and 
mats (tatties), which are hung over doors or set in windows; in 
hot weather, when frequently sprinkled with water, they cool and 
perfume the air. The fans (Tamil, visri) mentioned by Koenig 
act in the same way. ‘The root, in the powdered state, enters into 
the composition of an Adzr,** or perfumed powder used by the 
* Hindus at the Holi festival. Such an Abir, Abir Izkhir, is already 
mentioned in the ‘ Ain-i-Akbari, tft the Annals of the Emperor 
Akbar, the appellation ‘Izkhir’. standing here for ‘ Izkhir-i-Ajami,’ 
that is ‘Khas Khas.’ The ‘Schoenanthus’ powder which Herbert 
de Jager{{t found in use at Golconda in the second half of the 
17th century was also most likely ‘Khas Khas’ powder. For what 
he says is this: “In Golkonda, this Schoenanthus is used in 
powder-form for washing the hands on account of the very pleasant 
odour ut imparts very quickly to the water; but the odour ceases 
as soon as the hands are dry.” 
While, however, the use of the roots of Vetiveria zizanioides for 
medicinal purposes and in perfumery has been universal in India 
for a very long period, 1 have failed to find, among the earlier 
writers, any clefinite and indisputable reference to the extraction 
of an oil from them. It is true that Hessler, in his translation 
of SuSruta, mentions (vol. i, p. 160) “Andropogi muricati 
spiritus distillatus”’; but the word which he renders as “ Andro- 
pogt (sic) muricati”’ is ‘Mrinala,’ which by others, as for instance 
* Hackel, Andropog. (in DC. Monogr, Phaner., vol. vi., 1889), p. 542. 
+ Linné fil., Suppl. (1781), p. 433. 
+R. Brown, Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. (1810), p. 193. 
§ Retz., l.c., vol. v. (1789), p. 21. 
« || Roxburgh, Fl. Ind., ed. Carey & Wall., vol. i. (1820), p. 270. 
@ Jones in Asiat. Research. vol. iv. (1795), p. 306. 
** Dict. Econ. Prod. India, vol. i. (1885), p. 7. 
tt Hooper, in Calcutta Review, Oct. 1904. 
tf Herb. de Jager, in Valentini, Hist. Simpl. (1732), p. 392. See also p. of 
this paper, 
