OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 331 



in common use" for household furniture; by Roxburgh cor. iii. pi. 250, Wight, and Drury, planted 

 in other parts of Hindustan as far as Bengal; but by Rumphius i. 106, wild in the Ceylon forest. 

 Farther East, was observed by Mason "exotic " in Burmah and called "peing-nai ; " by Loureiro, 

 under cultivation in Anam and Tropical China; by Rumphius i. 105, becoming rare in the Eastern 

 portion of the Malayan archipelago and devoid of a native name; by Blume, a wild kind on Java. 

 Westward from Hindustan, was observed by myself on Zanzibar, introduced probably by either Ban- 

 yans or Arabs. By European colonists, was carried to the Mauritius Islands, observed by Bojer 

 inclining to become naturalized ; about A. D. 1800 to the West Indies, where it continues under 

 successful cultivation (Hook. bot. mag. pi. 2833, and A. Dec). 



Areca catechu of the Malayan archipelago. The betel palm is called in the environs of Bombay 

 '' foflee-sooparee " (Graham), in Telinga "poka-chettu," in Tamil " paak-marum " or " camooghoo," 

 in Bengalee "gooa" (Drur.) ; and the tree with leaves like ostrich plumes on helmets, but two cubits 

 long — (Theophr. iv. 4. 5), mistranslated by Pliny xii. 12, may be compared : A. catechu was observed 

 by Rheede i. pi. 5 to 8 in Malabar ; by Graham, " commonly cultivated " in the environs of Bombay, 

 also by myself ; by Roxburgh cor. i. pi. 76, Simmonds, and Drury, in other parts of Hindustan, and 

 from Ceylon to Northern Bengal. Farther East, by Mason " exotic " in Burmah and called " kwon- 

 thee ; " by myself, under cultivation throughout the Malayan archipelago as far as the Philippines, 

 where according to Blanco it is called in Tagalo and Bisaya "bofiga," in Pampango "luyos." West- 

 ward from Hindustan, was observed by myself under cultivation on Zanzibar: the "pgtros" of the 

 Erythraean Periplus is regarded as the imported nut ; and " areca " nuts according to Wilkinson 

 have been exhumed in ancient Egyptian tombs: the "fawfal" is mentioned by Maserjawia, Ebn 

 Amran, Abu Hanifa, Gafeki, Mesue, Avicenna, Serapion, Ebn Redwhan, and Ebn Baitar ; and 

 "arica" nuts called "fufal" were found by Forskal mat. med. imported into Egypt. (See Acacia 

 catechu, and Piper belle). 



Inga bigemina of Tropical Hindustan and Burmah. The tree with long twisted fruit sweet to 

 the taste, but inducing dysentery and therefore prohibited by Alexander — (Theophr. iv. 4. 5), an 

 account copied by Pliny xii. 12, may be compared: I. bigemina was observed by F.heede vi. pi. 12 

 in Malabar; by Nimmo, in the Concans as far as Bombay (Graham) ; by Roxburgh, and Wight, in 

 other parts of Hindustan. Farther East, by Mason v. 459 to 772 indigenous in Burmah and called 

 "ta-nyen," planted besides by the natives who "are extravagantly fond " of the seeds as "a condi- 

 ment " to preserved fish, notwithstanding sometimes disastrous consequences. 



Mimusops hexandra of Tropical Hindustan. Called in the environs of Bombay " kernee " or 

 " rayanee " or " rajun " (Graham), in Telinga "palla," in Tamil " palloe " (Drur.) ; and the tree with 

 fruit like that of the cornel " kranSois " — (Theophr iv. 4. 5), may be compared : M. hexandra was 

 observed by Gibson, and Graham, planted by Muslims, "very common on Malabar hill" near Bom- 

 bay, the fruit eaten, and in Guzerat the wood much used for a variety of purposes where toughness 

 is required; by myself, planted trees around the Imampoor station where we rested for a night ; by 

 Roxburgh cor. pi. 15, on the Circar mountains (Pers.) ; and according to Drury, the berry is of the 

 "size and shape of an olive." 



Diospyros ebenum of Ceylon. Of the two kinds of ebony met with, that with good and beautiful 

 wood, but rare — (Theophr. iv. 4. 6), may be compared: "nigrum ebenum" produced only in India, 

 is mentioned by Virgil geor. ii. 117: D. ebenum is described by Rumphius viii. pi. 6; is termed 

 "ebenoxylum verum" by Loureiro, "d. glaberrima" by Roxburgh (Steud.) ; was observed by Retz 

 v. 31 in the Ceylon forest (Pers.) ; and according to Tennent i. 117, grows in great abundance 

 throughout all the flat country West of Trincomalee, and so large that the central black portion 

 furnishes logs two feet in diameter by ten or fifteen long, excelling all other kinds in the evenness 

 and intensity of its colour (Drury). The" living tree has recently been introduced by Nimmo into 

 the environs of Bombay (Graham). 



Diospyros melauoxylon of Tropical Hindustan and the Siamese countries. The Coromandel 

 ebony is called in Tamil "tumballi," in Telinga "toomida," in Hindustanee "tindoo," in Bengalee 

 "kendoo" or "kiew" (Drur.); and is possibly the beautiful kind of "eVSne" in question: — 

 "gvSnos " was also seen in India by Megasthenes (Strab. xv. 1. 37) : D. melanoxylon is described 

 by Roxburgh cor. i. pi. 46; is known to grow from Malabar to Orissa, a large tree "twenty to 

 twenty-five feet to the branches " with the trunk " eight or ten in circumference," yielding according 

 to Drury " a fine kind of ebony" exported in small quantities "from Madras;" the bark astringent 

 and taken by the natives in dysentery (Lindl.). Farther East, was observed by McClelland in Pegu 

 and called "ouk-chin-ya" (Mason v. 542) ; "bonus qe est mout noir" was observed by Marco Polo 

 162 abounding in the forests of " Cianba " (Tsiompa), the species doubtless the same seen by Lou- 

 reiro p. 752 throughout the forests of Anam. 



Diospyros montana of Tropical Hindustan. Called in Mysore " ingalagunte " scolding wife 

 (Buch.) ; and the second kind of " evene " met with, inferior in quality but abundant — (Theophr. 



