Mr. Ray also, who so accurately describes the flower of the Cinnamon of Malabar, seems not so well acquainted with its fruit; and probably had then never seen the specimens of the Cinnamon from Ceylon; for his description is plainly borrowed from others, and not his own. Tho’ I have reason to think he afterwards saw the specimens of Mr. Courteen, and was convinced, that the plants were the same.
In his description of the Cinnamon of Ceylon, he supposes differences in the manner of veining the leaf, which are not found in the leaves themselves. He supposes, that the Cinnamon of Ceylon differs from that of Malabar by its berries growing in cups like acorns; which is apparently the same in both, as may be seen in its figure in the Hortus Malabaricus.
The other differences taken notice of by the botanic writers are as follow:
In the Flora Zeylanica, p. 545. and in the Materia Medica, 190. the Cinnamon of Ceylon is called Laurus foliis trinerviis ovato-oblongis nervis unientibus: which description is adhered to in the Hortus Cliffordiensis, p. 154. under the name Laurus foliis oblongo-ovatis nitidis planis. And Burman, in his Flora Zeylanica, 62. T. 27. calls it Cinamomum foliis latis ovatis. Whereas the Cassia of Sumatra is distinguished by these writers: that in Flora Zeyl. 146. and in Materia Medica, 191. is called Laurus foliis trinerviis lanceolatis nervis supra basin unitis: and Burman, Zeylan. 63. T. 28. calls it Cinamomum perpetuo florens folio tenuiore acuto.
The distinction therefore, which these writers would make us believe there is between these plants, consists in the leaves of the one being oval, the other sharp-pointed; and that the nerves are limited at the bottom in the Cinnamon, but not so in the Cassia: for as to the semper florens, mentioned by Burman, that must undoubtedly be common to both.
Now as to the different shape of the leaves, we know how often this happens by seminal varieties, and from the age of plants, as in the leaves of holly and ivy; and that even the shapes of leaves vary greatly on the very same plant, and sometimes on the same branch; as in the ash, and many other plants, the leaves of the young shoots are more oval than those on the old boughs, which are generally more pointed. But this variety is much more frequent in the plants of warm countries. In the sassafras, part of the leaves generally near the bottom of the plant are plain, whilst the other leaves are divided into three lobes or segments. I have observed great difference also in the leaves of almost every one of the American oaks.
In the Virginian cedar, the berries of the same plant produce some plants with juniper leaves, and others with leaves like the savin; and some plants with both leaves growing on the same plant.
I must observe that Burman has, in his figures of the two plants before mentioned, made them extremely different. In that of Ceylon he has made all the leaves oval; and, to make the difference greater, has drawn the rudiments of the berries; to which he has added the flower, or part of it, at the top of the style or rudiment of the fruit: and in that of Malabar he has drawn the flower growing in the umbel.
On these drawings I must observe, that his drawing of the Cinnamon of Ceylon agrees with no one specimen in the British Museum; and scarcely is one leaf to be found of the shape, which he gives.
The first figure, which I shall produce, is a drawing which I procured from the ingenious Mr. Ehret in the year 1754: which, as I am informed by Mr. Empson, was from a specimen, given to Mr. Ehret by him in that year, of the Cinnamon of Ceylon. See Fig. [1.]