Common phytonyms are closely associated to physical, biological and cultural features. The ways in which indigenous people coin name, conceptualize and organize the plants in their ambience have been of great interest to ethnobotanists. Such names help us to understand interrelationships between languages, cognition, memory, survival and world view if analyzed comparatively on etymological ground. Caryota urens L. (Arecaceae) is a multipurpose and still undernutralized tree species inhabiting some Asian countries. The present author examined its common names in various Indian languages as well as outside India where it grows. This attempt encoded morphological data, ecological features, folklore, medicinal virtues and such other functions from the common names studied. Such comparative studies are desirable as the incredible knowledge of our ancestors is being eroded because of modernization and fast rate of acculturation worldwide.

Caryota urens, Common phytonyms, Etymology, Ethnobotany.

The derivation of common plant names helps us to understand its cultural history as well as its history of uses. The common phytonyms of Caryota urens are self-explanatory: (1) Hindi: Ban-Khajur (Ban-jungle, wild; Khajur-date, date-palm). The fruits resemblance of these is indicated. (2) Assamese: Surgutti-goch (Sura-wine) Toddy obtained turns into intoxicating drink after fermentation. (3) Marathi: (a) Dongri-mad (Dongri-inhabiting in hilly forests; mad-a palm). The palm grows in wild in hilly forests. (b) Sur-mad: (Sur, Sura-wine, mad-palm). The palm is a resource for obtaining wine. (c) Ardhi-supari (Ardhi-half one, supari-arecanut). Resemblance of half-cut areca-nut is indicated. (d) Bherli-mad (Bherli-indicative of state of mind going out of control, mad-a palm). This refers to Neera, a fermented product (obtained from toddy) which is intoxicating. (4) Konkani: Birli-mad or Birlo-mad. The meaning and indication as the Marathi name explained above. (5) Bengali: (a) Sopari (Sopari-a

Patil, D. A. (2020). Cross-cultural investigation on common phytonyms of Caryota urens L. (Arecaceae): Some Indications. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 12(2): 63-67.