NOTES. 331 



The only previous record of the name was made by Moon, 

 and he included it in his list of varieties of the plantain, but 

 it is most probable that he was guessing from the name, and 

 had not seen a specimen. This name does not appear to be 

 in use at the present day, but one may hazard the suggestion 

 that it probably referred originally to Jussiaea repens, who.se 

 spongy floats resemble peeled plantains. 



In 1917 the name Diya-manel was supplied for the Water 

 Hyacinth in the Eadella District. The idea underlying this 

 name is fairly obvious. Manel is the Water Lily, Nymiihaea 

 stellata Willd. Goda-manel is Crinum asiaticum L., or the 

 Lily which grows on land (goda = land). Diya-manel (Diya 

 = water) is consequently a water lilj^ though in this case the 

 Diya would seem to be tautological. But it is of interest to 

 note that the same name was given to Thwaites in a neighbour- 

 ing district for a plant which proved to be an introduced 

 species, HymenocalUs tenuiflora Herb. 



In the Kandy District there is a belief that the Water 

 Hyacinth is a native medicinal plant, known as Diya-beraliya, 

 and the idea is as difficult to eradicate as the plant itself. 

 The name Diya-beraliya Was not met with by Thwaites or 

 Trimen, but it was recorded by Hermann, whose specimens 

 were Monochoria hastsefolia Presl., i.e., Diya-habarala. The 

 name does not appear to have been used with any definiteness 

 at any time, and specimens of Diya-beraliya sent in recently 

 from the Southern Province proved to be a Commelina. The 

 basis of reasoning on which this name is applied to a water 

 plant is not evident. Beraliya is Doona cordifolia Thw., and 

 has been applied to Doona oblonga Thw. Pini-])eraliya is 

 Doona ovalifolia Thw. Kotikan-beralij'-a is Doona nervosa 

 Thw. Honda -beraliya is Doona macrophylla Thw. Rat- 

 beraliya is Hopea jucunda Thw. Thus, these other species of 

 " Beraliya " are Dipterocarps, and it is difficult to see any 

 resemblance between them and Monochoria. 



The Water Hyacinth seeds freely in Ceylon, and it is proving 

 difficult to eradicate where it has been allowed to flowei', 

 because of the delayed germination of the seeds. 



