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ON VERNACULAR NAMES. 333
those of V. Chontalensis, whilst the leaves are much more handsome,
rendering it a highly ornamental plant. This species is also in Mr.
Bull's possession.
ON VERNACULAR NAMES.
Mr. James Collins, in his " Notes on some new or little-known
Vegetable Products " (* Pharmaceutical Journal,' August, 1869), in
speaking of the East Indian " Nag-kassar," and after stating that the
name is spelt in various ways, and applied to sevei'al distinct plants,
says,—
" This is a good illustration of the value to be set on native
names. Though Dr. Seemann, who has paid great attention to ver-
nacular nomenclature, observes justly,* *that the medical man, the
chemist, or traveller, by simply asking the native name, would instantly
have the scientific appellation, and that they are less fallible than
generally supposed,'— yet it is not sufficient to find in any book, how-
ever high an authority it may be, the native name appended to a sci-
entific one, to identify them ; it is only a means to an end, not the
end of inquiry itself. Native names are exceedingly valuable, but are
frequently misapplied by traders and others, and they point out generic
affinities rather than specific distinctions."
Now, I am sorry that I cannot agree with Mr. Collins that " Nag-
kassar " is a good illustration of the value to be set on native names ;
on the contrary, I hold that it is a very bad one. It seems to be a
general term for the products of certain plants yielding a yellowish
dye ;t a^id it would be just as reasonable to say that our collective
term " Corn " is a proof of the slight value to be attached to
vernacular names of plants, because it embraces the products of
cereals belonging to widely separated genera. It is certainly not a
characteristic of genuine native names that they have a collective
meaning, or, as Mr. Collins puts it, " point out generic affinities rather
than specific distinctions." On the contrary, any one who will take
the trouble to examine lists of names used by unscientific peoples or
* ' Popular Nomenclature of the American Flora.' Hanover. 1851.
(Preface.)
t Sauerwein, in ' Bonplandia.' 1856, p. 300. Article " Nag-kassar."