-80  REV.8. MATEER ON THE TAMIL POPULAR NAMES OF PLANTS. 
8. Pongamia is simply * pungu ” or “punga,” which, however, 
is said by Dr. Winslow to be applied to Dalbe: ‘gia arborea. 
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9. Zingiber and Ginger, I believe, come from “ inji,” the green - 
ginger root. 
10. Moringa pterygosperma, the horse-radish tree, is in Tamil l 
* murungei," from * murungu ” to perish, dissolve, the wood being - 
extraordinarily soft and perishable. 
In the trivial names of plants also many Tamil names make : 
their appearance. 
1. Of this character I believe is the term galanga or galangal, | 
applied to a species of Alpinia. This appears to be simply the | 
South-Indian word * kirangu" or “kilangu,” root, plural “ kir- . 
angugal." 
2. Cassia Tora is from “ tagarei," the native name of the plant. ij 
Cerbera Odallam is a poisonous Apocynaceous tree, named in Ma- - 
layálim * uthalam." Euphorbia Tirukalli is from “ tirugukalli," 
twisted spurge, but appears to be misapplied to an unarmed species. 
The native name applies to Euphorbia tortilis. 
3. Chavica Betle is the betel-leaf plant. The word betel is 
ont 
sometimes applied by English writers to the Areca-nut, which is | 
chewed along with the leaf, but it properly denotes the latter — 
only. The word in the original is “ vettilei,’ from verum bare OF — 
plain, and lez, leaf, which, according to the laws of Tamil euphony, | 
becomes vettilei, and is corrupted by Europeans into * betel." 
* Kiriattu" is, I believe, the native name of Andrographis panici- — 
lata; while Agathotes Chirayta is commonly spoken of as the | 
Chiretta herb. I think, however, I have observed that the natives | 
call the former “ country kiriattu." 
“ Brinjal ” is said in Prior's * Popular Names of British Plants’ 
to be a Tamil word; but this is certainly an error. I know not i 
from what language the word really comes. 
It may be worth noting, in connexion with this subject, that . 
many of the names of places in South India are derived from the | 
names of plants which abound in the respective localities. Such | | 
are Anjengo or Anjutenga=the five Cocoa-nut trees, and Calli- 
mere point or Kalli medu = Euphorbia-hill. 
