REV. S. MATEER ON THE TAMIL POPULAR NAMES OF PLANTS. 29 
Demia extensa, a twining Asclepiad with white cottony hairs 
around the seeds and furnishing a fine fibre from the stem, is 
named “ hedge-cotton." Mussenda frondosa is “ white leaf," from 
its curious and beautiful white calycine leaf. 
Crotalaria laburnifolia is * kilukiluppei" the “ rattler,” from 
the ripe dry seeds rattling in the legume, the very 1dea of our own 
botanical name from the Greek “ krotalon ” a rattle. 
“Adutinna palei,” the * milk-plant which the goat will not 
eat," is Aristolochia bracteata, every portion of which is intensely 
bitter. 
A few plants take their popular names from legendary tales or 
personages, like our St. John's Wort. Thus Spinifex squarrosa, 
a sea-side grass with spherical bristly inflorescence, is called 
* Ravana’s whiskers.” 
It may be interesting also to trace botanical terms belonging to 
the Tamil language now included in our own scientific nomencla- 
ture. Many of these Indian words are very oddly Latinized, and 
some of them quite misapplied. The following are some of the 
Tamil words thus adopted by us. 
1. The Malabar nut, an Acanthaceous shrub, is Adhatoda vasica, 
in Tamil adatodei. Todei is used for various species of Citrus ; 
ada means immoveable or not shaking. 
2. A genus of Xanthoxylacew is called Ailanthus. This word 
does not occur in Tamil; but in the cognate language, Malayalim, 
aranthal is the name of Ailanthus excelsus. 
3. The Pineapple is Ananassa. This is said to be derived from 
*nanas," the name in Peru, where the plant is indigenous. In 
Tamil, however, it is commonly called ‘‘annasi” or * annatarei,”’ 
the food or edible tarei or Pandanus. 
4. A genus of lofty and graceful palms is called Aréca, which I 
should be inclined to pronounce 4A'reca. In Tamil, “kay ” means 
fruit, and “adeikáy " pickled fruits. In Malayalim, however, 
* adekka ” is the appropriate name of the Betel-nut Palm, adopted 
in our botanical works. 
5. The beautiful Papilionaceous genus Agati is simply in Tamil 
* agatti.” 
6. Mangifera indica is so named from * mà," the Tamil name of 
the tree, which, compounded with * kay," becomes * mankay,”’ cor- 
rupted by Europeans into “ mango." 
7. Odina in Anacardiacez is * uthiyam." Pavetta in Cinchones 
is * Pávattei," which I should therefore pronounce Pávetta. 
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