344 
NAMES OF PLANTS. 
as Daim Low [Ecemaria discolor), Sir Hugh Low’s leaf, because he 
was fond of cultivating the plant, or when the leaf is specially used 
as Daun Sapenoh {Eurycles), the leaves of which are commonly 
used in magic. Bunga, a flower, is used when the flower is especially 
attractive, as Bunga Kasut [Paphiopedilum), XJbi, a tuber, is used 
when the tuber is the most important part of the plant, as in Ubi 
Kentang, Potato, or Ubi Kayu {woody tuber), i.e., Tapioca. Kayu, 
wood or timber, is used when the timber is especially the important 
part of the tree. Bua, fruit, is used when the fruit is conspicuous 
or valued; Bua Kras, literally, hard fruit, Aleurites rnoluccanus. 
Dammar signifies resin, and is used in names of resinous trees, as 
DipterocarpecB and Burseracem, Getah means latex, and is com¬ 
monly used without the additional use of the word Poko or Akar; 
thus it is common to talk of Getah grip to signify Willughbeia firma, 
or to say Akar grip, though it would probably be more correct to 
say Akar Getah grip when referring to the plant. The Malay 
plural is formed by repeating the singular, and in plant names it 
often implies that the plant in some way resembles the plant to 
which the singular name belongs; thus Pi sang signifies a banana. 
Pisang-pisang is used for many Anonace<e because the fruit resembles 
a cluster of bananas, and such a word is often shortened by con¬ 
traction, as Pepisang, a short form of Pisang-pisang, Gegrip a 
contraction for Grip-Grip. 
Medang, strictly speaking, corresponds to Laurinece, but is 
applied to a number of trees which do not belong to this order, 
sometimes apparently because the timber is valuable and used as 
is that of the bigger Laurinece, but there is a word Mendong also 
which means Elceocarpus, and this by error has become often 
transformed to Medang. 
As a rule, in large or conspicuous genera the Malay names are 
applied to all of the genus, with often surprising accuracy, but 
sometimes the generic names are applied in a somewhat humorous 
way, as Durian tupai {Commersonia echinata), the squirrel’s durian, 
because the bristly fruit suggests a small durian only fit for squirrels. 
