TALK ON BOTANICAL NAMES

Chronicle (Levin), 1 August 1946, Page 4

TALK ON BOTANICAL NAMES

LEVIN NATIVE FLORA CLUB A meeting of the Levin N.Z. Native Flora Club was held in the schoolroom recently. Mr. I. D. Parsons presided and there were some apologies for absence. After the club business had been dealt with, Mr, N. M. Thomson gave a talk on some botanical names. A while ago; on reading some of the plant names, Mr. Thomson Said he thought how wonderful it would be if all amateur botanists knew the meanings of such names, and could translate the Latin "mouthfuls" into intelligible English. Plant names often embodied some descriptioii of the plants, and the speaker had set about finding meanings of many of the botanical names, partly with the idea of facilitating the memorising nf them. Before he had proceeded very far, however, Professor Arnold Wall and Dr. H. H. Allan had published a hook on the subject, thus providing the necessary information , . at a glance. However, Mr. Thomson had checked their interpretation with any other version to which he had access, and in some instances preferred other translations which were more graphic. The speaker then proceeded to give the meanings of various divisions of the plant kingdom, and of their representatives in N.Z. The plant kingdom is divided into two sub - kingdoms — npn - fiowering plants, and fiowering plants. The latter (Phanerogams) are divided into two classes, Gymnosperms with ovules or seeds exposed, i.e. not contained in an ovary (from Gumnos, naked) , and Angiosperms, with seeds contained in an ovary (from a word meaning enclosed, covered) . In N.Z. there are few Gymnosperms. The classes are divided into orders. There is but one order of Gymnosperms in N.Z., the Coniferales (Conifers, or cone-bearing plants) . This order is sub-diyided into families, of which we have three, Podocarpaceae, Cupressaceae' and Pinaceae. These words are all adjectives and the noun "plantae" is understood; thus, plantae pinaceae means pinaceous (or pine-like) plants. The family Pinaceae is represented in in N.Z. by one genus, Agathis, the Kauri being Agathis australis, Agathis, which is the generic name (i.e. "of the genus") has been variously interpreted, but the meaning given by Kirk, "a ball of thread," is •an interesting one, and describes the round cone. Australis, the specific name (i.e. "of the speeies") means "southern." The family Cupressaceae has, in N.Z., only one genus, Libocedrus (meaning "drocping cedar") . Libocedrus plumosa; the specific name signifying "downy" or "feathery," and L. Bidwillii, commemorating Bidwill, an early N.Z. botanical explorer. Podocarpaceae means "foot-fruit?" alluding to the fleshy peduncle (i.e. the stalk of the inflorescence) . In N.Z. there are three genera in' thl's family, Podocarpus, Dacrydium and Phyllocladus. Miro is Podocarpus ferruginium (rust-colour-ed), a somewhat obscure description. P. nivalis is from "snow" and in this connection means "alpine." P. totara is from the Maori name; P.' spicatus means "spiked," referring to the flower-spike, and P. dacrydioides is "like the Dacrydium." The Genus Dacrydium is from "dacru" (t ear), and is so named from the resinous exudations from the wood. The best known representatives of this genus are D. cupressinum "like cypress") , which is the rimu; D. laxifolium ("lax — or loose-leaved") , the smallest conifer in the world, growing only three inches to three feet high; and D. Colensoi (the silver pine) named in honour of Wm. Colenso. The last genus is Phyllocladus, literally "branch-leaves," named from the fact thati it 'has;np trqe leaves, but the tfps of the bfanel/es are fiattened and spread out, ahd fulfil the functiqhs. of '4^aves/\;M"ie Tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) means "like trichomanes" (Trichomanes was an old name for the maidenhair fern) . P. alpinum is the alpine toa-toa, which carries out the process of layering itself spontaneously. As can be seen, Mr. Thomson not only explained the botanical names, but he also sorted out one complete class of our native plants, thus giving two-fold benefits to the listeners. The president, Mr. I. D. Parsons, expressed the members' gratitude to the speaker for his iddress. Many people who attended Dr. Allan 's recent lecture to the club on his trip to the Fiord country in the "New Golden Hind" will be interested to know that at the next club meeting, on August 24, Dr. Allan will show lantern slides of this trip. A further notice will appear later.