Atropa belladonna
Atropa (atropos= rigid, Inflexible, atropos is one of the three goddesses of fates in the Greek mythology)Belladonna (bella=beautiful , donna= lady)
The name Atropa Belladonna is said to be derived from the fact that Italian women at one time made drops from the plant which caused their pupils to dilate and thus made them more seductive and alluring. The name “belladonna” itself does in fact come from the Italian language, meaning “beautiful lady” originating from its usage as a cosmetic for the face and its usage for the eye.
In Greek mythology, the three Fates (Moirai) were responsible for spinning, measuring the length of human life, and ending it. Clotho spins the thread of life, Lachesis measures and allots the length of one's life, and Atropos severs it. The genus name of belladonna is a derivation of Atropos, meaning "inexorable" or "inflexible" the Fate that severs the thread of life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digitalis
Latin name: Digitalis purpurea, Digitalis lanataDigitalis (digitus= finger)
From the Latin digitus ‘a finger’, referring to the shape of the flowers.
Purpurea (purpura=purple)
Referring to the color of its flowers, which is frequently purple.
Lanata (lanatus= woolly)
It gets its name due to the texture of its leaves. The leaves are mid-green, woolly, veined, and covered with white hairs on the underside.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senna
Latin name: Cassia acutifolia, Cassia angustifoliaCassia a name, kasia, used by Dioscorides from a Hebrew plant name, quetsi’oth,
Acutifolia (acutus= acute, folia= leaves)
The leaflets of Alexandrian senna are ovate-lanceolate with acute (acuti-) and mucronate apex.
Angustifolia (augustus= narrow, folia= leaves)
The leaflets of Indian senna are narrow (angusti-), lanceolate.
 |
| a= C. acutifolia, b= C. angustifolia |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
from an Indian vernacular name, dhatura, Sanskrit, dhustura, (Arabic, tatorali) (=thorn apple, from the nature of its fruits which is prickly).
Stramonium
from the Greek name, strychnon manikon, used by Theophrastus for the thorn apple.
Datura stramonium
Daturafrom an Indian vernacular name, dhatura, Sanskrit, dhustura, (Arabic, tatorali) (=thorn apple, from the nature of its fruits which is prickly).
Stramonium
from the Greek name, strychnon manikon, used by Theophrastus for the thorn apple.
Hyoscyamus niger, Hyoscyamus muticus
Hyoscyamus (hyo, hyos=pig, kyamos=bean)
It was Dioscorides who gave the plant its name of Hyoscyamus, because although poison to man and many animals but pigs could apparently eat it without any harm.
Niger= black.
Muticus= cut off, without a point, not pointed, blunt.
Thea sinensis, syn. Camellia sinensis
Thea
the Latinized Chinese name, T’e (Theaceae)
sinensis (chinensis )
sinensis (chinensis )
from China, Chinese
Camellia
Camellia
for Georg Joseph Kamel (Cameli) (1661–1706), Moravian Jesuit botanist, pharmacist, plant illustrator and traveller in Luzon.
