22 
ON THE CEYLON CARDAMOM. 
which is also made in the Flora Zeylanica, I believe to 
be correct. 
Wildenow, in his edition of the Species Plant arum 9 the 
first volume of which appeared in 1797, adopts the errors of 
both Reichard and Linnseus. 
Moon follows Linnaeus in referring to Rheede's figure of 
Elettari, plate 6, for a representation of the Grain of Para- 
dise. As the fruit represented by Rheede neither resembles 
the real or Guinea Grain of Paradise, nor the Ceylon Car- 
damom, which Moon regards as Grain of Paradise, I am at 
a loss to understand how he could have committed so gross 
and inexcusable an error, unless, indeed, he had not a copy 
of the Hortus Malabaricus to refer to, and, therefore, 
quoted it at. second-hand from Linnaeus and Willdenow. 
Linnaeus probably, when he quoted Rheede's figure, had 
never seen the fruit of the Grain of Paradise ; while Moon, 
though familiar with the fruit of the Ceylon Cardamom, 
may not have had access to the Hortus Malabaricus when 
he quoted it. So dissimilar is the fruit in question to the 
figure quoted, that in no other way am I able to account for 
the errors just referred to. 
The Cardamom plant mentioned by Linnaeus, in his Flo- 
ra Zeylanica, as " Amomurn scapo bracteis alternis laxis 
eaule brevtore," may have been either the Malabar Carda- 
mom ( Elettaria Cardamomum, Maton) or the Ceylon 
Cardamom (Elettaria major, Smith.) I am inclined to 
think, however, that it was the latter ; for the plants were 
collected by Dr. Paul Hermann, who gives, in his Musaswn 
Zeylanicum, Ensal as the Singhalese name of the Carda- 
mom plant. Now, Moon states, that this is the native name 
for his Amomum Granum paradisi f Elettaria major, 
Smith.) It follows, therefore, that the synonymes " Car- 
damomum minus" and " Elettaria," given by Linnaeus, are 
erroneous. 
I now proceed to give a botanical description of the plant 
which yields the Ceylon Cardamom, premising, however, 
