NAT. ORDER. 
MenispermacecE 
COCCULUS PALMATUS. CALUMBA ROOT. 
Class XX. DicEciA. Order VI. Hexandria. 
Gen. Char. Sepals and petals, arranged in a double series, very 
rarely in a triple series. Stamens, six, free, opposite to the 
petals. Carpels, from three to six. Fruit, drupaceous, reni- 
form, rather compressed, one-seeded. Cotyledons, distant. 
Spe. Char. Leaves, cordate, five to seven-lobed. Lobes, entire, 
acuminate, somewhat hairy on both sides. Ste?n and germen, 
clothed with glandular hairs. 
This species of Cocculus is a native of the eastern part of 
Southern Africa; it has been ascertained to grow naturally, and 
in great abundance, from fifteen to twenty miles inland, in the 
thick forests about Oibo and Mozambique, on the Zanguebar 
coast. Formerly, it was erroneously supposed that the plant which 
produced the calumha-root of commerce, was a native of the 
island of Ceylon, and that its name was derived from Columbo, the 
principal town of that island. We are indebted to M. J. F. For- 
tin, a French gentleman, for the discovery of the true plant, 
which produces this valuable root ; who, when at Mozambique, 
procured an entire offset, of a larger size than usual, from the 
main root. This he brought with him to Madras, in 1805, from 
which a male plant was raised in Dr. Anderson's garden ; and 
from this individual, Dr. Berry's figure and description v\^ere 
made The female plant had not been described at that period, 
but it was ascertained to belong to the natural order, Menisperma- 
Vol. ii.— 82 
