Names of Plants in India :: etymology of epithet robustobrownianum

[Dinesh Valke]

Dear friends,

I could not find any clue to what the epithet robustobrownianum in context of Eriocaulon robustobrownianum Ruhland stands for.

Hopefully someone helps with the etymology.

Regards.

Dinesh
 

[Vijayasankar Raman]

Dinesh ji,

I was able to trace back to the original publication by Engler in 1903 (see attached). Although there is no direct mention of etymology of the specific epithet in the protologue, we can infer something. First of all, the specific epithet is originally hyphenated (robusto-Brownianum). And, there is another species called Eriocaulon brownianum (the first letter of specific names derived from name of a person or place was usually capitalized in the past). I assume that this plant, E. robusto-brownianum, is morphologically somewhat similar to E. brownianum but comparatively more ''robust'' in its habit, i.e. the peduncles could be more in number and/or stouter than those of E. brownianum. This is just a hypothesis, though!

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Vijayasankar

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Vijayasankar Raman

Research Scientist

National Center for Natural Products Research

University of Mississippi, USA

[Dinesh Valke]

Thank you very much Vijayasankar ji; your analysis is convincing, and etymology should be so. I too was thinking that robusto could be a descriptive prefix, when I saw few instances of the hyphenated epithet, as in Herbarium JCB, IISc, ... but did not know of another species E, brownianum. Thank you very much.

Regards.

Dinesh

[Dr Pankaj Kumar]

I agree with Vijay although in the protologue it mentions SUBROBUST, but such terms are usually in comparison with another existing species, eg. Balanopsis and Cyclobalanopsis. Sometimes names are even in parts or just to sound like an existing name or just opposite of the wording of an existing name:

Thismia : Thomas Smith, some say it is opposite of SMITH.

Sedirea: Opposite of another orchid Aerides because flower looks like it but obviously not same genus.

Thanks and regards

Pankaj

[Dinesh Valke]

Thanks very much Pankaj; thanks for the additional information.

Regards.

Dinesh

[Nidhan Singh]

Got to know so many things from this discussion, thanks Dinesh Ji, Vijayasankar Ji and Pankaj Ji..

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Regards,

Dr. Nidhan Singh

Assistant Professor
Department of Botany
I.B. (PG) College
Panipat-132103 Haryana
Ph.: 09416371227