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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. Xll. 



In the ratu (red) class we have Rat-kihiri {Acacia catechu),. 

 with red-coloured wood ; Rat-mal (Ixora coccinea), with red 

 flowers. 



Such examples as Nil-katarodu {Clitoria ternatea), with 

 blue flowers; Kaha-petan {Bauhinia tomentosa), with yellow 

 flowers ; and Ranwan-kikirindi {Wadelia calundulacea), 

 with gold-coloured flower heads, represent other varieties 

 of colours. 



The class of plants which Botanists describe as Dioecious,, 

 as they bear the staminate and pistillate, or pollen-bearing 

 and fruit-forming flowers, on different plants, are distin- 

 guished by two simple terms, which occur along with their 

 names, viz., mal, "flower," gedi, "fruit." 



These two prefixes not only show that the species belong to 

 the Dioecious class, but they point out definitely which 

 are staminate or pollen-bearing, and which are pistillate or 

 fruit-forming, mal and gedi standing for them respectively t. 

 as Mal-tumba and Gedi-tumba {Momordica dioecea). 



Next we pass to the consideration of plants which have 

 such prefixes aspotu, kiri, katu,ddra, dat — "scaly," "milky," 

 "thorny," "angular," and "dentate," respectively. These 

 terms describe the appearance of plants formed by different 

 modifications, and the names make it a very easy matter to 

 distinguish them. Thus we have Potu-pjald (Ipomoea 

 unifiora), Kiri-walla {Holarrhena mitis), Katu-kurundu 

 (Scolopia crenata), Ddra-wetakolu (Luffa acutangula), 

 Dat-ketiya {Ophiorrhiza mungos). 



We have also such names as Nidi-kumba {Mimosa pudica), 

 Chanchala {Besmodium gyrans), Agamula-neti-wela {Cas- 

 sytlict), which denote some special characters of the plants. 



The term nidi, "sleepy," is applicable to Mimosa, as the 

 leaves contract, or apparently go to sleep, at sunset or on the 

 slightest touch. 



The name Chanchala, "moving," has a very significant 

 meaning, and this plant, which is known as " the Telegraph 

 Plant," is characteristic for the motion of some of its leaves, 

 which always keep turning round at a very slow rate. The 



