TIIF. ASO'CA. 
But conic, my muse, 
Thou, like the harmless bee, shah freely range 
From mead to mead bright with exalted dowers, 
Through palmy shades and aromatic woods.** 
i 
The Asoca is another oriental beauty on which Sir 
W illiam Jones bestows the warmest praise. He de¬ 
scribes it as a new genus; and as lie only gives the 
vernacular name, not the Linnaean, it would be difficult 
to discover further particulars of its history than those 
with which he himself has favoured us. He strongly 
objects to the genuine names of Asiatic plants being 
superseded by trivial, and, according to his opinion, 
unmeaning appellations. The former are mostly very 
comprehensive, and highly poetical; thus the Hindoos 
give the scarlet hibiscus a title which answers to “gem 
of the sunthe ipomea they call Calamata, or “ Love’s 
creeper” (after the Indian Cupid); and to all beautiful 
aquatic flowers they give the general name of “ Cu- 
muda,” which signifies “ delight of the waters.” 
But to return to the Asoca, the description of which 
is as follows: — “ Flowers fascicled, fragrant just after 
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