20 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
divided this genus, and on a certain number of species erect- 
ed that of Cocculus, including the article under conside- 
ration, to which he gave the name of C. suberosus. Recently 
Dr. Arnott, in his Prodromus of the flora of India, has de- 
scribed the male plant of this species, and has shown that it 
has been already noticed under a variety of names. Thus it 
is the Menispermum monadelphum of the drawings of Rox- 
burgh, (No. 130) in the collection at the East India House; 
and the M. heteroclitum, Roxburgh and Wallich ( Flora 
Indica, iii. 817) ; finally, it is identical with the plant described 
by Colebrooke, (xiii. Transactions Lin. Soc.) under the 
name of Jlnamirta racemosa. 
Dr. Arnott also states that it is evidently of the same spe- 
cies as the female plants, known under the names of M. coccu- 
lus, L., and C. suberosus, D. C. But as from the structure of 
its male flowers it cannot belong to either of these genera, he 
has adopted that of Colebrooke, and given this species the 
name of Anamirta cocculus. Its synonymy, therefore, is as 
follows: Anamirta cocculus. White and Arnott, Prod. 
Flor. Penins. Ind. occ. 449. A. racemosa, Colebrooke. 
Trans. Lin. Soc. xiii. 66. Menispernum cocculus. Linnaeus, 
GARTNER, t. 70, f. 7. Roxburgh. Flor. Ind. iii. M. hetero- 
clitum, Roxburgh, L c. M. monadelphum, Roxburgh, 
Cat. et icon, 130. Cocculus suberosus, Decandolle, Prod, 
et Syst. 
Hibiscus esculentus. — This plant, the fruit of which is so 
well known as an esculent vegetable, under the name of okra, 
deserves more notice as a demulcent than it has received. 
The whole plant, like most of the malvacese, is mulcilaginous; 
more especially the pods, which in an immature state, are an 
excellent substitute for the Althasa officinalis, and form a very 
appropriate article of diet in diseases of the bowels, by simply 
boiling them in water. As generally eaten, however, in the 
form of gombo and colalou from the admixture of stimulants, 
they are a highly stimulating food. 
The ripe seed also forms a good substitute for coffee, or 
