SPECIES OF CASSIA WHICH YIELD SENNA. 
1S3 
vidi, nec ovata ut vult character Sennae. Senna Mec- 
cae Lohajae inveniebatur foliis 5-9 jugis lineari-lanceolatis. 
E territorio Abu-ausch magna copia Djiddam deportatur, 
quam eandem esse ajunt Kahirae vulgarem nomine Sennoe 
Meccse et in Europa Sennae Alexandrinae.* 
From this description, which agrees pretty closely with those 
detailed before, and from the accompanying remarks, it would 
seem that Forskall entertained the belief that he was 
describing the Senna Alexandrina, or that with acute leaves 
(foliis acutis) of the older writers. It does not appear that 
any other Senna with acute leaves was found at Cairo. 
The clause, " Senna Meccae Lohajae inveniebatur foliis 5-9 
jugis lineari-lanceolatis" would favor the opinion that some- 
thing different was alluded to; and this may have been 
the case, but it does not interfere with the entire account, as 
it merely expresses the fact that a plant having the peculiarities 
noticed was also met with at Lohaia, and it may have been 
either a simple variety, or a distinct species confounded with 
the other under the name of Senna Meccensis. We can 
readily believe that a single species can be a native of coun- 
tries so contiguous as Arabia and Egypt; so that the statement 
that this plant, more peculiar to the latter, is found in the for- 
mer, should be received, provided there exist no inherent evi- 
dence to weaken confidence in it. The designation, Meccensis, 
must have been taken from the place of deposit, in the same 
way as the term Alexandrina; these are merely local ap- 
pellations arising from the mode of conducting commerce in 
those countries. 
The circumstance on which Delile founds the distinction 
between his plant and that of Forksall, is the occurrence of 
a gland upon the petiole of the latter. Now it has been seen 
how much weight this ought to have, when in describing the 
plant acknowledged to be the same, he and Nectoux are at 
variance upon this very point; and with regard to other appa- 
rent discrepancies, it can only be said that, even at the present 
day of studied accuracy in description, it will be found that the 
* Flora jEgyptiaco Arabica, &c. 
