NO. 42. — 1891.] SINHALESE PLANT LORE. 



115 



names with goda, "land," diya, "water," mudu, "sea coast": 

 as Goda-para (Dillenia retusa), Diya-habarala (Monochorea 

 hastcefolia), Mudu-kaduru (Ochrosia borbonica). 



The term goda is only used when there is another species 

 resembling it growing in moist situations or on the sea coast. 

 But the terms diya and mudu are more widely used, as 

 comparatively few species belong to the two last classes. 



Description. 



We come now to the class of prefixes and suffixes in names 

 which more or less serve to denote some physical descrip- 

 tion or other that aids in the identification of a particular 

 plant. The words may either denote the form of the plant 

 or any particular position of it or its organs, or other 

 characteristic marks. 



Among those of the first-stated variety — the terms which 

 denote the form of plants — we have Mn, "small," and maha, 

 "great" : as Hin-boivitiya (Osbeckia octandra), Maha- 

 howitiya (Melastoma malabathricum). 



The terms Mn and maha are used in the naming of such 

 plants which are generally of the same genus, bearing almost 

 ,the same characteristics, with the only difference of having 

 the different organs smaller in size to those of the other 

 species. In almost all instances, when we meet with either a 

 Mn or a maha plant we are certain to have its opposite, as 

 these two terms are very seldom used when their opposites 

 are not found. 



Next we come to that class of terms which describe a plant 

 by any unusual colour exhibited by it or any of its organs. 

 We have such terms as ela or sudu, "white," ratu, "red," nil) 

 "blue," kaha, "yellow," and ranwan, "gold-coloured," &c. 



Among ela or sudu plants we have Ela-we-wel (Calamus 

 Eoxburghii), with a light-coloured stem ; Ela-nitul (Plum- 

 bago zeylanicd), with white flowers ; Ela-batu (Solanum 

 Xantlnocarpwri), with light-coloured fruits ; and Sudu- 

 tampald (Amarantus gangitecus), possessing light-coloured 

 leaves. 



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