Fwd: Tamil names for Staurogyne species

[Dinesh Valke]

Many many thanks, dear Vijayasankar ji, for helping with coining names for both the species of Staurogyne (spatulata and zeylanica) that are known to be distributed in Tamil Nadu.

It is a great joy when a name is coined for a nameless plant, almost like giving it its due recognition !!!

பிசுபிசு சேத்துப்பூண்டு pisupisu sethupoondu for Staurogyne spatulata (Blume) Koord.
பிசுபிசு pisupisu = sticky; சேத்துப்பூண்டு sethupoondu = (sethu or setru = of marsh / swamp / slush / mud; poondu or puntu = herb / weed) = a generic name that applies to any herbaceous plant / weed growing in a marshy habitat ... named so, for the plant's sticky nature, and for its swampy habitat.

சிலோன் சேத்துப்பூண்டு ceylone sethhupoondu for Staurogyne zeylanica (Nees) Kuntze
சிலோன் ceylone = of or from Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon during colonial rule);  சேத்துப்பூண்டு sethupoondu = (sethu or setru = of marsh / swamp / slush / mud; poondu or puntu = herb / weed) = a generic name that applies to any herbaceous plant / weed growing in a marshy habitat ... named so, for the species' type locality, and for its swampy habitat.

Thanks very much once again, for all the time given, for coining the names.

Regards.

Dinesh

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Vijay Raman <vijay.b...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 30, 2024 at 6:06 AM
Subject: Re: Tamil names for Staurogyne species
To: Dinesh Valke <dinesh...@gmail.com>

Dear Dinesh ji,

In line with the names coined in other languages, we may call Staurogyne as "sethupoondu" சேத்துப்பூண்டு (a casual/spoken form of the more formal சேற்றுப்பூண்டு "setruppoondu") (sethu or setru = of marsh/swamp/slush/mud; poondu or pūṇṭu= herb/weed). But this is very generic and can apply to any herbaceous plant/weed growing in a marshy habitat. If you like this name, then S. spathulata can be called "pisupisu (= sticky) sethupoondu" பிசுபிசு சேத்துப்பூண்டு, and S. zeylanica as "ceylone sethhupoondu" சிலோன் சேத்துப்பூண்டு.

Another option for Staurogyne would be "meen thotti chedi" (= fish tank herb) மீன் தொட்டி செடி, which applies to plants growing/grown in fish tanks or aquariums.

Best,

Vijayasankar

On Fri, Sep 27, 2024 at 2:11 AM Dinesh Valke <dinesh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Firstly, thank you very very much, dear Vijayasankar ji, for giving your time.


I have been thinking about this and did some research but haven't been able to come up with a suitable Tamil name yet.
If / When naming becomes cumbersome, we will just give it up !
But I am sure, most often, we will somehow come up.

I am looking for a feature that is common in the genus.
I have many questions... Do all species of Staurogyne grow in swamps (think about mangroves)?
As much as I read through the internet, yes, their habitat is wet soil - I take it as swamp / marsh / meadows ... not sure about mangroves, did not read.

I know one species (S. repens) is used in fish tanks but how about the others?
Most of them are used (cultivated) as aquarium plants, and for aquascaping.

Is there a major medicinal use for the plants?
Not read so. Not much is written about our Indian Staurogyne spp.

Do they have any similarities to other genera such as Strobilanthes etc.
Nearest, rather confused with is Hygrophila. I read it somewhere.

If all the species don't share a common feature, we can coin names for individual species.
That I think will be just too challenging; I think best is, if at all, coin a generic name for Staurogyne, and add some prefix or suffix for naming particular species.

But again, are there any features specific to the species?
Not sure; I would like to always think that the specific epithet should be of some help.

 

Is S. spatulata really sticky?
Yes, the inflorescence clearly has those viscid hair, and other parts of the plant too may have it.

I see that S. zeylanica is extinct in Sri Lanka and found in India (Andaman Islands) and Bangladesh. So, giving the name Ceylon staurogyne may be redundant just because it was named zeylanica but it is not there anymore.
I suggest we will not think so. The binomial is permanent, and the coined name will remind of the fact that the plant was named after Sri Lanka.

Sorry for the many questions but naming feels like a serious business...lol :)  
Perfectly in agreement. But, no sorry about the questions !!! They are the best food for thought :)

BTW, ஆந்தை actually refers to owl.
True.
Tamil lexicon, University of Madras, has 4 meanings listed:
1) Owl 2) Spotted owlet 3) Fragrant sticky mallow 4) Father of Atan, an ancient name

I took advantage of "sticky", and since some other south Indian languages have "antu" meaning sticky, gum, &c, I thought that it would be okay to use it as a prefix.

Thanks once again, Vijayasankar ji.

There is never a hurry for coining names, nor are we ever bound.

Regards.

Dinesh

On Fri, Sep 27, 2024 at 7:49 AM Vijay Raman <vijay.b...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Dinesh ji,

I have been thinking about this and did some research but haven't been able to come up with a suitable Tamil name yet. I am looking for a feature that is common in the genus. I have many questions... Do all species of Staurogyne grow in swamps (think about mangroves)? I know one species (S. repens) is used in fish tanks but how about the others? Is there a major medicinal use for the plants? Do they have any similarities to other genera such as Strobilanthes etc. If all the species don't share a common feature, we can coin names for individual species. But again, are there any features specific to the species? Is S. spatulata really sticky? I see that S. zeylanica is extinct in Sri Lanka and found in India (Andaman Islands) and Bangladesh. So, giving the name Ceylon staurogyne may be redundant just because it was named zeylanica but it is not there anymore. Sorry for the many questions but naming feels like a serious business...lol :)  BTW, ஆந்தை actually refers to owl. 

Vijayasankar

On Thu, Sep 26, 2024 at 4:20 AM Dinesh Valke <dinesh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Vijayasankar ji,

For Staurogyne ... I hope we can make use of a compound word from following: சதுவல் catuval (swampy ground) + ஓடதி otati (medicinal herb or drug / annual plant)

sticky =  ஆந்தை antai

Ceylon, Sri Lanka = இலங்கை ilankai

For Staurogyne spatulata (sticky staurogyne)  ... ஆந்தை சதுவல் + ஓடதி antai catuval+otati

For Staurogyne zeylanica (Ceylon staurogyne) ... இலங்கை சதுவல் + ஓடதி ilankai catuval+otati

As I said earlier, please ignore my request without hesitation, if this way of coining names does not look valid.

Regards.

Dinesh

On Wed, Sep 25, 2024 at 1:40 PM Dinesh Valke <dinesh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Vijayasankar ji,

Please help with coining names for two species of Staurogyne distributed in Tamil Nadu - spatulata (glauca) & zeylanica.

In English, we have them as "sticky staurogyne" and "Ceylon staurogyne".

On the same lines if we coin a Tamil name for genus Staurogyne, we can add prefixes meaning "sticky" or "viscid" and "Ceylon".

Please ignore my request simply without hesitation, if this becomes a cumbersome process.

Regards.

Dinesh