60 MALAY PLANT NAMES. 



BIRAH. 



A name applied to various aroids chiefly wild. Guppy, etc., 

 gives Via (Fiji) Viha (Malagasy) Bia (Sundanese) as 

 allied words. 

 BIRAH AYER. 



Aglaonema marantifolium Schott. {Aroideae). A large aroid 

 growing in swampy jungle. 



BIRAH HUTAN. 



Cyrtosperma lasioides Griff. (Aroideae). A big aroid with 

 sagittate leaves with prickly petioles ; growing in swamps. 

 BIRAH KECHIL. 



Typhoniiim divaricatum Decne. (Aroideae). ^ common little 

 aroid; growing as a weed in waste ground. 



BIRAH KELADI. 



Colocasia antiquorum Schott. (Aroideae). The cultivated 

 Keladi, widely used as food. 



BIRAH NEGRI. BIRAH NAGRI. (Favre) 



Aiocasia macrorrhiza Schott. (Aroideae). A large cultiva- 

 ted aroid. 



BIRAKSA. 



Cassia fistula L. (Leguminosae) (Favre). Evidently not a 

 Malay word : the tree is only cultivated here and that not 

 often. 



BIRING. (Rumput) 



Hedyotis pinifolia Wall. (Rubiaceae). A road-side weed with 

 small white flowers. 



BIRURONG HIT AM. 



Melastoma polyanthum Bl. ^^~ 



BIRURONG MERAH. 



Jfelastoma asperum HI. These two words are given in 

 Clifford's Dictionary as Malay. Filet gives them as Rhio 

 words, I have never heard them used for the Melastomas, 

 which are here usually known as Senduduk. 



BISA (Akar.) 



Sphenodesma friflora Wight. (Verhenaceae). Lit. Poison- 

 climber. 



