NOTES ON GRASSES GROWING IN CEYLON. 



17 



Hot of Retz. B. auriculata, Kurz. Nastus Thouarsii, and N. 

 viviparus, Rasp. Arundo. Linn, in Hort. Cliff. 25, and Flora 

 Zeylanica No. 47. General Munro's Monograph, Lin. Soc's Tr. 

 Vol. 26, pp. 106-108. Una-lee, or Una-gas of the Sinhalese. 

 The Kaha-una-lee is the yellow-stemmed variety, and the Nil- 

 una-lee is the green-stemmed variety. Both varieties are 

 very common in most parts of Cevlon, and especially on the 

 banks of the principal rivers up to 2,000 feet. It is greatly 

 cultivated as a useful and ornamental plant, and is well known 

 to the natives and Europeans as our most common bamboo. 



" The geographical distribution of the bamboo is very 

 interesting. One species only, under the several names of 

 Bambasa vulgaris, B. Thouarsii, B. surinamensis, and B. 

 Sieberi, is found in both Hemispheres ; and I am in considerable 

 doubt as to which it is a native of. I have seen it collected by 

 Wallich in Silhet, by Hooker in Chittagong, but marked by 

 both as cultivated ; from Ceylon, apparently wild ; from 

 Mauritius, I think, cultivated ; abundantly from the West 

 Indies, naturalized ; and, cultivated, from several parts of South 

 America, This is the only thoroughly cosmopolitan species, 

 and is to be seen in great perfection near the centre staircase 

 in the Palm-house at Kew." — General Munro's Monograph, 

 p. 7. " The numerous specimens which I have seen of this 

 plant have enabled me to ascertain that the large number of 

 synonyms quoted above all belong to one species, which, indeed, 

 considering its wide range, appears to vary less than many 

 other species. The most remarkable varieties occur in plants 

 cultivated in the gardens of Europe, two of which (one from 

 the garden at Paris, and one from that at Gottingen) are 

 figured under the name B. Thouarsii by Kunth. in plates 73 

 and 74 of his magnificent work on the Graminese. The native 

 country of this species is still doubtful : it is certainly natura- 

 lized in many places ; but there is no reliable information as to 



c 



