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A LIST OF THE NATURAL ORDERS AND GENERA OF BOMBAY 

 PLANTS WITH DERIVATIONS OF THE NAMES. 



H. M. Chibbek, M.A., 



Assistant Professor of Botany, Agricultural College, Poona. 



Some Floras give derivations of the generic and specific names of plants 

 mentioned therein. None of the Bombay Floras do it. Botanical names 

 however derived are latinised and are regarded by most men as very dry 

 and uninviting, like specimens of plants in a herbarium. If derivations 

 were known, the names would be invested with quite an unsuspected 

 interest. Besides, in many cases it helps memory by presenting an asso- 

 ciation between the name and the plant. 



Genera are grouped into natural orders. In the Bombay Presidency 

 there are a hundred and forty-one indigenous orders, and nearly a score 

 more having introduced representatives only. Of the indigenous orders, 

 as many as close upon a hundred have genera that are cultivated for use or 

 ornament. I have given derivations of the names of the natural orders as 

 well as of the genera. Of genera, we have very close upon a thousand that 

 are indigenous, and another five hundred that are represented by introduced 

 species alone. Some three hundred of the thousand indigenous genera 

 have cultivated species also. Thus we have altogether about eight hundred 

 genera that are grown by farmers or gardeners in the Bombay Presidency. 

 Their names should interest a wider circle than that of botanists proper. 

 Some of these names have, besides, very interesting derivations as will be 

 seen further on. 



A natural order takes its name after its typical genus as a rule. Lindley 

 (1846) had reduced this to a uniform system. He called Oompositse, 

 Asteraceee ; Cruciferse, BrassicacejB and so on. Lindley's plan is not 

 followed nor, in my opinion, is it desirable. Of the over hundred and fifty 

 natural orders listed here, there are, however, not more than a dozen that 

 are not named after a genus. These are generally named after some com- 

 mon point in morphology. Thus Coniferse and Leguminosse are named 

 after the types of fruits commonly met with in these orders. Labiatse and 

 Cruciferse are related to the corolla-forms occurring in them. Lastly, 

 Composita3 and Umbelliferte draw our attention to the forms of their 

 inflorescence. 



The generic names are derived in a variety of ways. Most of them are 

 descriptive. The descriptions are largely morphological. Sometimes they 

 indicate supposed or real medicinal and other properties or uses of the 

 plants. 



At other times they describe the habitat. A few names are geographical. 

 Quite a large number of names are commemorative. These are connected 

 chiefly with botanists, their patrons, friends or foes. A few generic names 

 in botany are derived from Greek and Roman mythology. Hindu mytho- 

 logy, which hap supplied so many Insect names, does not give origin to any 

 Plant names. Another large stock of scientific names is derived from 

 ancient or modern common names of plants used m some part of the world. 



The descriptive names show great variety. A large number of them are 

 vague, such as Abrus, Cleome, Oyclea, Eurya, Melaleuca, Orophea, and 

 Tylophora.* They do not state what is soft, close set, circular, large, black 



* Tor the derivations of these and other names that follow, as well as the 

 aptness of the names, see the main list further down. 



