96 
ON GRAINS OF PARADISE. 
piperatum of Valerius Cordus,* appears to be identical 
with the hot acrid seeds now known as Grains of Paradise, 
and which were exclusively brought from Guinea, whence 
their name of Guinea grains. They are the produce of 
Amomum Grana Paradisi, Smith. t Cordus states, that 
the fruit resembles an egg in shape and size, and that the 
seeds have a hot flavor like that of pepper and ginger. These 
characters leave no doubt as to the identity of his Melligetta 
with our Grains of Paradise. 
2. The Cardamomum majus of Cordus has been con- 
founded by many writers with his Melligetta. He appears 
to have been well aware of the error, for he observes, 
"Errant quotque dicunt, Melligettam, majus Cardamomum 
esse. Cardamomis enim tenuis minwneque fervens sed 
gratus ac jucundus est sapor, Melligettae vero piperis instar 
acerrimus." This cardamom is the produce of Amomum 
angustifolium, SonneratJ and Smith, § the A. madagas- 
cariense of Lamarck. || It can scarcely be doubted, there- 
fore, that Linnaeus^! and other botanists, who give Mada- 
gascar as one of the habitats of the Grain of Paradise plant, 
have confounded the Guinea plant {Amomum Grana para- 
disic Smith) with that of Madagascar {A. angustifottum, 
Sonnerat;) for the Grains of Paradise of commerce are 
always brought from Guinea. Some very fine samples of 
the Madagascar cardamom {Cardamomum majus, Cordus,) 
are contained in Dr. Burgess's collection of Materia Medica 
at the College of Physicians. One of these I have figured 
in my "Elements of Materia Medica" vol. ii., under the 
* Historia Stirpium, lib. iv., p. 195.- 1561. 
f Rees' Cyclopaedia, vol. xxiii., art. Melkgetta,- also vol. xxxix., art. 
Jlmomum. Roscoe (Monandrian Plants,) declares, that his Amomum 
Mekgueta, which he considers to be a distinct species, yields the Mele- 
gueta pepper of the shops. 
^ Voyage aux Indes, t. ii., p. 242. 
§Rees' Cyclopaedia, vol. xxxix., art. Jlmomum. 
|j Encyclopedie Methodique, div. Botanique, 
% Species Plantarum. Holmiae. 1753. 
