July i, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AlSrWCtJLtURlST 
S? 
REMAKES ON THE STATE OF BOTANl 
IN CEYLON, 
WITH EEFEREKCE TO THE KKOWEEHGE OF IT IN APRIL 
1843, AND AN ATTEMPT AT ABRANGINfl IIS FLORA A3 
KNOWN TO MOON AND RESIDENT BOTANISTS ACCORD- 
ING TO LOCALITY AND ELEVATION, COMMONLY CALLED 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF A FLORA. 
By Oaptain Champion, 95iii Regt. 
{Continued from fage 46.) 
I have not however sat down to persuade ; in 
all countries Horticulture and Botany are charms 
to but a portion of the community, but to a sufli- 
oient number to become subjects of public attention, 
and even to attract the notice of Government, this 
is the ace for Botany as well as othei- pursuits. Kew 
re-established-andin the bands of the most accom- 
plished Botanist of the day-the princely green- 
houses of Dropmore, Chatsworth, Woburn Abbey, 
and many noble residences ; whilst foreign countries 
are ransacked by collectors for private Greenhouses 
or public societies. We find the late Duke of Bedford 
importing from Mexico a waggon load of t actuses, 
one of which an Echino-cactus weighed upwards 
of two owts. and had to be carried for some distance 
on the shoulders of eight Indians. Another (a cactus- 
senilis) which some of us inay have seen in 
England, was fourteen feet high. In Ceylon Be 
know that the Duke of Northumberland has not 
been idle, he may possibly be better acquainted 
with its botany than our present residents. The 
great Duke himself, can boast of the best avenue 
of Beech trees in the kingdom at Strathfieldsaye, 
rbetter even than Sir Walter’s.) It is related of him 
that when Loudon was engaged m the publication 
of his Arboretum “ he wrote for Permission to take 
drawings from some of the trees of Strathheldsaye, 
the Duke mistook the signature for that of Ch. James, 
Bishop of London (J. 0. Loudon) and suposmg 
that the Bishop patronised the science of botany, 
wrote to him that His .Lordship might do what 
he pleased with the giants ofhis lamous avenue, 
except cut them down. The Bishop, we presume, 
must have been a good deal P^^led with this 
limited Church commission. Poor Mr. Loudon lost 
his chance.” It is many years since Ceylon had 
attracted the attention of European Botanists. The 
great author of the Linnsan system with much 
taste and judgment, thus draws a comparison 
between the vegetation of Ceylon, and as it would 
appear that of his own native country Sweden.-- A 
delicious climate has granted to this Island plants 
of such variety and value, that scarcely any soil 
can vie with it, for the abundance of its aromatic 
productions. Whilst Pine Forests occupy our cold 
and sterile regions, in Ceylon the Cinnamon trees 
constitute whole groves, in such plenty indeed, that 
the inhabitants are accustomed to employ the wood 
for household furniture, for fuel and for cooking. 
Our orchards are planted with apples, pears, plums 
and cherries and other similar trees, but in Ceylon 
nothing is esteemed save the lofty Palms, 
which the Coconuts chiefly afford the needful food, 
utensils and every thing necessary to mankind, ihe 
Caryota there yields a wine called Sun, and the 
Corypha or Fan Palms, extend their broad, smooth 
and plaited fronds, which serve for shade and 
shelter. They are most requisite for protection trom 
the sun’s rays, as well as from sudden showers, 
to the Natives, whose only garment is a scanty 
covering of linen. Date Palms and the superb 
Bananas decorated with wide spreading and glossy 
foliage, present in great profusion, racemes of the 
most delicious fruit, to say nothing of the more 
valuable productions with which the soil every- 
where abounds, such as Mangoes, the Jack, Malay 
apples, Psidia Oranges, and Citrons, Cashewnuts, 
Averrlioas, &e. Our fields are sown with common 
Barley, and Rye, but those of the Cingalese re- 
•eeive nothing but Rice, which affords them flour 
and bread. Our marshes are covered with Cattle, 
their’s with fragrant Amonum. Persiearias occupy 
our waste places; but with them grow different 
species of Pipper. In our meadows spring the 
Ranunou'us, Plantains, Convallarias, and many 
other neglected plants ; in theirs, numerous kinds of 
Hedysarum, Galega, Hibiscus, Justicia, Cliome, 
Impatiens, Amomum Myrtle, and^ Ricinus, besides 
numerous climbers, as Ipomcea, Dxoscoisea Basella, 
Aristolochia, Ophioglosum, Phascolus Momordica, 
Bryonia, Vine, Cissus, Pothos, Loranthus, and 
Acrosticara. In the room of the meadow sweet and 
mints, the pastures in Ceylon are scented with 
Basil and the woods with Cinnamon. Everywhere 
occur the most precious Aromatics, Ginger, Carda- 
mons, Galange, Costu,s, Arcorus, Schcenanthus, 
Calamus, Aromaticus, and flowers of the most 
exquisite color and structure and fragrance, such 
as Crinum, Pancratium, and Gloriosie as well as 
those plants which saturate the night air with 
their delicious scent such as the Tuberose, (Poly- 
anthus,) and Nyctanthus.”— It was at this period 
that Burmann labored in Ceylon and the results 
were Thesaurus Aeylanicus a very cieditable 
work at the period when published. Burmann lent 
his collection to Linnaeus, who published descrip- 
tions from it, as appears from Sir J. Smith’s tour 
on the Continent in 1793. The same author also 
mentions Herman’s Ceylon Plants at Leyden and Co- 
penhagen and that a copy was afterwards published 
by Sir Joseph Banks. Sir J. Banks seems to have 
been interested in Ceylon Botany, for Sir William 
Hooker studied in his museum preparatory to going 
out with General Brownrigg ; unfortunately family 
occurrences prevented this taking place. In Wight 
and Arnott’s Prodromus of Indian botany there is 
a very good account of the Indian Botanists ; up 
to the time of Roxburgh, their works are of very 
little service in the present state of Indian Botany 
with exception of the edition of Roxburgh’s Indian 
Flora by Wallicli, which is very good. Royle, Wight 
and Arnott and Wallicli are in India what Hooker 
and Bindley are at home, and we owe to them a 
most complete knowledge of Indian botpy: all their 
works are most instructive. Meanwhile to return 
to Ceylon botany :~Moon the first Superintendent 
of the Botanic Gardens, established at Peradema 
seems to have performed his duties in a most cre- 
ditable manner. In 1824 he published a list of 
Ceylon Plants, which is too well known m the 
Island to require any recommendation ; a few mis- 
takes have crept in and many of the genera have 
been altered since 1824 ; other plants are to be 
added but still it is most useful up to the present 
improved age of the science. He must have formed 
a good Herbarium, but only a few plants are now 
extant so that no means are left of ascertaining 
the plants which were undescrihed in Moon’s time 
and consequently named by BIooii— except by the 
Native names and they are fluctuating and not 
always correct where rare plants are in question. 
Watson Lear, and Normaiisell who succeeded 
Moon have done but little for Ceylon botany. 
Previous to 1838 Colonel and Mrs. Walker paid 
creat attention to Ceylon botany. Mis. Walker had 
the advantage of being an excellent flower painter 
and her tracings of plants are considered very 
beautiful ; their collection of plants went home to 
England in-1839 or— 40 and is supposed to have ad- 
flpfl a very large list to our Flora. 
Dr. Wielit was on a visit to Ceylon in 1836 : 
he made an excursion with Colonel Walker and 
