N epenthes.
Ceylon, not aboriginal. Wolf mentions the lemon, and Burma)!,.
in his Tbefaurus, gives a little lemon, the Limon Nipis, Rumph. ii.
tab. 29, perhaps the common lime.
I n ow proceed to the wonder of the vegetable kingdom, the
famous Bandura, Burm. Zeyl. tab. 17, Cantbarifera, or Daun
Gundi, Rumph. Amboin. v. tab. 59, the N e p e n t h e s Dejlillatoria
o f Linndus. This is an herbaceous plant, with narrow leaves-
From their ends fifties a very long tendril, which finilhes with
a long cylindrical tube, fometimes fix inches in length, and.
furniihed at the extremity with a circular valve, completely at
times doling the orifice. This is filled with a pure limpid
water, which continues during the time that the valve is ifeut;
when it is open the liquor is dried up, but the ftock is renewed
at night, when the valve is again clofed. Rumpbius has feena
pint o f water in thofe o f Amboina. They feem a variety o f the
Ceylonefe, being thickefi: in the middle. Thofe o f Ceylon being
truly cylindrical.
T he Dutch call this plant, Kannekens Kruyd, or the Can
Fruit, from its lingular form. Linnaus, i f I may colled from
the name, imagines it to have been the Nepenthes of Homer's
Odyjfey, Book iv. which we are told was prefented to Helen,
by the wife of thane, king of Egypt, together with the receipt
for preparing
T he mirth-infpiring bowl,
T em p e r’d with drugs o f fav’reign ufe t’ alfuage-
T h e boiling bofom o f tumultuous rage :
T o clear the cloudy front of wrinkled care,
And dry the tearful fluices of defpair,
Charm’d