LTHOUGH the plant, which is the subject of this essay, be not a new species, yet, as it is cultivated to a great extent in Malava, and forms an important branch of the commerce of that province, I hope a particular description of it, with some account of its culture and use, will not be unacceptable to the Asiatic Society.

It is the Morinda of Linnæus: It belongs to the order Pentandria Monogynia in his system, and is referred by him to the natural order of Aggregata. Here (though it may seem a digression from the subject) I cannot help observing, that Linnæus is not altogether consistent in the distinction, which he endeavours to establish, between the aggregate (properly so called) and the compound flowers. In his Philosophia Botanica, § 116, he defines a compound flower to be "that which has a broad entire re"ceptacle, and sessile florets;" and an aggregate flower, that which has a broad receptacle, and florets supported on peduncles." According to these definitions, the Morinda ought to be placed among the compound flowers; but in the following section,

Linnæus makes the essential character of the compound flowers to consist in having all the anthers united: thus restricting it to his class of Syngenesia. This not only excludes the Morinda, but ought perhaps to have, strictly speaking, excluded the Kuhnia, Iva, and Ambrosia; and even, allowing the approximated anthers in these genera to come within the meaning of the definition, it seems unaccountable that the Nauclea*, which appears so well entitled to a place in one of these orders, should be excluded from both.

The Aal is a tree of middling size; the root branchy; the trunk columnar, erect, covered with a scabrous bark.

Branches from the upper part of the trunk, scattered; of the structure of the trunk.

Leaves (seminal) oval, obtuse, entire.

(mature) opposite, decussated, ovate, pointed at both ends, smooth, with very short petioles.

Stipules lanced very small, withering.

Peduncles, from the axils of the leaves, solitary, bearing an aggregate flower. Calyx: common receptacle roundish, collecting the sessile flowers into an irregular head.

Perianth most entire, scarce observable above.
Coral, one-petaled, funnel-form; Tube cylindric;
Border five cleft; the divisions lanced.

Stamen: Filaments five, thread-form, arising from the tube, and adhering to it through two thirds of their length, a little shorter than the tube.

Anthers linear, erect.

Pistil: Germ beneath t. Style thread-form, longer than the stamens. Stigma two-cleft, thickish.

* The Cadam of the Hindoos.

The Germ is four-celled, and contains the rudiments of four seeds.

Pericarp: common, irregular, divided on the surface into irregular angular spaces; composed of berries pyramidal, compressed on all sides by the adjacent ones, and concreted with them, lopped, containing, towards the base, a fleshy pulp.

Seeds in each berry four, towards the point oblong, externally convex, internally angular.

The species here described is called by Linnæus, Morinda arborea pedunculis solitariis; and he gives it the trivial name of citrifolia; but the form of the leaves, in all the specimens I have seen, does not exhis bit this similtude, as will appear by the inspection of the accompanying figure, which was drawn from nature. There are figures of it given by Rumphius (Herb. Amboin. vol. 3. tab. 99) who calls it Bancu dus latifolia; and by Rheede (Hort. Malab. vol. 1. tab. 52) who calls it Cada-pilava. In Malava it is called Aal; and in Oude it has the name of Atchy.

The plant grows best in a black rich soil, free from stones, in situations moderately moist, not too high, yet sufficiently elevated to prevent the water of the rains from stagnating; and where there is near at hand a supply of water for the dry months. It is sown about the middle or end of June, after the rain has begun to fall. The ground requires no manure, it is ploughed twice, or, if tough and hard, three times. The seed is sown, either broad-cast, or in drills, according to the fancy of the cultivator. The ground is then ploughed over again, and harrowed. In one beegah* of ground are sown, from 1 to 2 muns† of seed. In fifteen or twenty days the young plants spring up. The field is then carefully weeded, and the grounds stirred with an iron instrument.

* A measure of one hundred cubits square.

†The mun of this country is sixteen seers, of eighty rupees weight each.

it

This operation is repeated, at proper intervals, during the first year; and in the dry months of that year (that is, from January till June) the ground is three or four times laid under water. After the first year, requires no farther care. In a year the plant grows to the height of one or two feet, according to the quality of the soil. In the third year, sometimes in the second, it bears flowers and fruit. The flowers appear in June, and the fruit ripens in September or October : but the fruit of those young trees is not used for seed, as it is said not to produce vigorous plants. In the months of February and March following the third year, the plants are dug up. They dig to the depth of three or four feet; the root, which is the only valuable part, extending so far into the ground. The wood of the plant is only used for fuel. Sometimes the necessities of the husbandman oblige him to dig the crop in the second, or even at the end of the first year; but the root is obtained in much smaller quantity, and less rich in colouring matter, than if it had remained the regular time. The crop is not much affected by the excess or defect of the periodical rains. When it is dug at the end of the third year, one bergah yields from four to six maunies* of the root in a wet state. These are spread on cloths, and dried in the sun for three or four days; at the end of which time there remains of dried root, one third or one fourth part of the original weight.

As the colouring matter resides chiefly in the bark of the root, the small twigs, which contain little wood, bear a higher price than the larger pieces. Therefore the roots, when dug up, are separated into three kinds, coarse, medium, and fine. The coarse sells for one rupee per mun, the medium two or three rupees, and the fine four rupees per mun, or four seers for a rupee.

* The mauny contains twelve myns of this country's weight.

In particular fields they leave trees for seed at the distance of four, five, or six cubits. In six years they yield fertile and vigorous seeds. The trees, when of that age, are about six inches in diameter, and twelve feet high (branches included); but they continue fruitful for many years, and are said to grow to a size not much inferior to that of a Mango-tree. When the fruit is ripe, it is gathered, laid in heaps on the ground, and covered up with straw, or other rubbish, for fifteen or twenty days, in which time the pulp rots, and is consumed. It is then put into a basket, and washed, by repeated effusions of water, to separate the seeds and free them from the remains of the pulpy matter. The husbandman, who cultivates the plant, generally takes care to have on his ground a sufficient number of trees for seed. If he is unprovided with those, he may purchase the seed, immediately after it is prepared, for four or five rupees the mun; but if he neglects to purchase till the season of sowing arrives, he may be obliged to pay at the rate of two seers per rupee.

In the ground on which Aal has grown, they sow wheat, or other grain, for five or six years; and it is observed, that the grain sown on this ground thrives remarkably and while the trees left for seed continue small, grain of any kind may be sown in their interstices; but Aal would not thrive there.

The expense to the cultivator varies considerably in different villages. In one, where the plant is cultivated to considerable extent*, the pateil, or zemindar, gave me the following account of the expense attending the cultivation of one beegah.

* Khelana, 7 miles from Oujein.