Frank Sayers, [Lower] Close, [Norwich, Norfolk], to James Edward Smith

Summary

Further thoughts on "Kuamos"["Cyamus" transliterated from Greek alphabet, appropriated in English as "legumen"] following his previous letter of 12 September 1808. As Theophrastus was the earliest Greek writer to use "Kuamos" conjectures that the Hindu 'Nymphaea nelumbo' may have been first imported from the East by Alexander the Great, and introduced to Egypt in a similar way. Explains why the "Kuamos" held to be an "abomination" by the Ancient Egyptians, according to Herodotus, was not 'Nymphaea nelumbo'.

Letter details

Record number

LINNEAN2579

From

Frank Sayers

To

Sir James Edward Smith

Date

3 Oct 1808

Sent from

Norwich, Norfolk

Source of text

GB-110/JES/COR/3/113, The Linnean Society of London

Language

English

Contributor

The Linnean Society of London[View Ɛpsilon collection]

Also published in The Correspondence of Sir James Edward Smith, The Linnean Society's Archive Catalogue.

• Frank Sayers
• Sir James Edward Smith