336 



CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



villages, and its "golden flowers" in the "dark long hairj' of the maidens celebrated in Burmese 

 poetry ; is known to grow wild in Ciampa (Drur.)i was observed by Blanco on the Philippines, around 

 villages in the environs of Manila, and called in Tagalo " sampac," its flowers sold in the market. 

 By European colonists, was carried to the Mauritius Islands, where it continues under cultiva- 

 tion (Boj.). 



Andropogon Martini of Tropical Hindustan. The roiissa grass is called in Tamil "kamakshi- 

 pullu" or " kasattam-pullu," in Telinga " kamakshi-kasuvu " or " kamanchi-gaddi," in Bengalee 

 "khama-kher," in Hindustanee and on the Deccan •' ganjni " (Drur.) ; in which we recognize the 

 grass West of the Indus recognized by Phoenicians in Alexander's army as one of the perfumes of 

 commerce ; also the " k6makon " enumerated by Theophrastus ix. 7. 2 among imported perfumes : 

 A. Martini is termed "a. nardus " by Linnaeus; "a. calamus-aromaticus " by Royle (in Kitt. bibl. 

 cycl.), who further states that it grows from Nagpore as far North as Delhi, its "leaves culms and 

 roots" yielding the fragrant grass oil called "oil of Xamur," much used in perfumery, also medici- 

 nally by the natives, but in the shops is often confounded with "oil of spikenard . " the grass was 

 brought by Martin from the highlands of Balaghaut to Lucknow and Calcutta (Roxb. fl. i. 277), and 

 abounds on the Deccan, universally spread over the trap districts (Drur.). 



Andropogon palinodes of Tropical Hindustan. Said to yield also a volatile oil (Drur.) ; and 

 possibly the grass in question : —the " narte '' enumerated among perfumes by Theophrastus ix. 7. 3, 

 may be compared : A. pachnodes is described by Trinius. The ginger grass of Ainslie ii. 401, yield- 

 ing an essential oil called by the natives " koshel," was observed by Law in the environs of Bombay 

 "common between Dhowe and Krishna," by Nimmo in the Concan North and South, by Heddle 

 in the "vale of the Nerbudda," and is further identified by Graham with the "nardus indica " of 

 Lamarck enc. ii. 375. 



Carvota urens of Tropical Hindustan and Ceylon. A stately palm called in the environs of 

 Bombay "bherlee-mhar" (Graham), in Telinga " mari " (J. F. Wats., and Beddome 60) or "jeeroo- 

 goo" (Lindl.), in Tamil " coonda-panna " (Drur.); and the "phoinikdn " in Gedrosia inducing " kata- 

 noethenai" if eaten crude— (Theophr. iv. 4 13), " strangulati " as translated by Pliny xiii. 9, may 

 be compared: the "marih" is mentioned by Rhazes, by Ebn Baitar as an Indian seed; and the 

 " belluri " met with by Jordanus, yielding toddy of superior quality, is referred here by Yule : C. 

 urens was observed by Rheede i. pi. n in Malabar; by Graham, "common on the Ghauts and Con- 

 cans," also "in gardens," its pith yielding sago, and its sap or toddy in common use for yeast : by 

 myself, clearly indigenous on the Ghaut ; by Buchanan, the trunk the favourite food of elephants ; 

 by Roxburgh, Ainslie, Royle, and Drury, in Travancore, Coromandel, and other parts of Hindustan, 

 fifty to sixty feet high, the thin rind of the fruit very acrid and producing a burning sensation on the 

 tongue ; is termed " saguaster major" by Rumphius i. pi. 14, and is known to grow on Ceylon, where 

 the split trunks are used as rafters, and the fibre of the leaf-stalks made into ropes for tying wild 

 elephants (fl. zeyl. 369, and Drur.). Farther East, a species of Caryota yielding sago was observed 

 by Blanco on the Philippines, common in many parts and called "pugaham." (See Arenga sac- 

 charifera). 



Xeiinm oleander of Subtropical Persia. The oleander is called in France " laurier-rose " 

 (Nugent), in Italy " oleandro " or " alloro indiano " (Lenz), in Greece " pikrothaphne " or " rotho- 

 thaphne " (Sibth.) or " ar5thaphn6," in Egypt " tifla? " (Forsk.), in Egyptian " skinphe " 1 Syn. Diosc.) ; 

 and the " thaphne "-like plant that poisoned cattle of Alexander's army in Gedrosia along the Persian 

 Gulf — (Strab. xv. 2. 7), may be compared : in the days of Dioscorides, the " nerion " having a rose- 

 like flower and fruit in the form of horns, was a well known shrub in gardens, growing also by the 

 seaside and along streams ; and somewhat later, the " wild laurel bearing roses " is mentioned by 

 Apuleius asin., and Lucian : N. oleander was observed by Forskal, Sibthorp, Ijorv, and Fraas, fre- 

 quent along streams from the Peloponnesus to Constantinople ; is known to occur also seemingly 

 wild in Syria . . . ; and was observed by Forskal, and Delile, in the gardens of Egypt. Westward, 

 the "nerion" or " rothothaphne " or " rothothe'nthron'' is identified in Svn. Diosc. with the "ikmane" 

 of the Lucanians (of Southern Italy), and " laurorosa " or " 616anthroum " of the Romans; the 

 "nerion" or "rhododendron," from having no Latin name, is regarded by Pliny xvi. 33 to xxiv. 53 as 

 brought from Greece ; and the " rhododaphne " is mentioned in the Virgilian Culex, and by Palladius 

 i. 35. 9, and Vegetius : N. oleander is termed " n. floribus rubescentibus " by Tournefort inst. 605 ; 

 was observed by Desfontaines i. 208 along streams on the Atlas mountains (Pers.) ; and is known to 

 occur seemingly wild from Italy to Portugal (A. Dec, and Lenz). By European colonists, was car- 

 ried to Northeast America, where it continues under cultivation as a hardy greenhouse plant. A 

 decoction of the leaves and bark according to Lindley is employed " in the South of France to cure 

 the itch and to destroy cutaneous vermin," and " the powdered bark and wood to poison rats." 



iXcriitni odornm of Hindustan. An allied species called in Upper India " hayamaraca" horse- 

 killer (W. Jones), in Broach "nermudda," in the environs of Bombay "kunher" (Graham), in Hin- 



