Limnocharis - The names

 

Limnocharis flava (L.) Buchenau

Alisma flavum L., Damasonium flavum (L.) Mill., Damasonium maximum Burm. ex Steud., Limnocharis emarginata Bonpl., Limnocharis flava var. indica Buchenau, Limnocharis plumieri Rich. 

BENGALI : হলদেপানা Haladēpānā, Holdey pana, কলমি Kalami, কালমি Kālami, Kengkong.*

CHINESE : 黄花蔺 Huánghuā lìn.

DUTCH : Gele Sawahsla.

ENGLISH : Hermit’s WaterLily, Limnocharis,, Sawah-flower Rush, Sawah Flowering Rush, Sawah lettuce, Yellow Burrhead (Aust.), Yellow bur-head, Yellow Sawah lettuce, Yellow velvetleaf, Velvetleaf, Water Cabbage.

FRENCH : Buchon, Laitue sawah, Tête de bur jaune.

JAPANESE : キバナオモダkカ  Kibana omodaka.

KHMER : ត្រកៀតប៉ោង, Trakiet.

LAOTIAN :  ຜັກຄັນຈອງ Phak khanchong (phak kunjong).

MADURESE : Thong-cènthongan.

MALAY : Bangeng , Berek, Enceng (Indonesia), Biah-biah (Bali), Genjer ( Indonesia), Gènjèr (Jawa), Gunda (Indonesia), Jinjir, Keladi merawan, Keladi itik, Keladi layar (Indonesia), Kelayau, Kelayar (Negeri Sembilan), Keloyok, Lagung (Iban), Paka rawan, Paku rawan, Pokok keladi senduk, Emparuk, Samsir (Sarawak), Selimpat, Kemelin (Perak), Sesenduk, Kelor (Sabah).

MALAYALAM : Manja payal.

POLISH : Limnocharis żółty.

PORTUGUESE : Barata (Brazil), Golfe (Brazil).

RUSSIAN : Лимнохарис жёлтый Limnokharis zholtyy, Болотокрас Bolotokras.

SINHALESE : දිය ගෝවා Diya gova (diya gowa).

SPANISH : Cebolla de chucho (Central & South America), Cucharita (Cuba), Lechuga de agua, Lechuguilla de agua (Mexico), Limnocharis amarilla (Cuba, Mexico), Limnocharis amarilla de agua (Cuba), Yerba de clavo (Cuba), Yerba de sapo (Mexico).

SWEDISH :  Sammetssvalting.

TAGALOG : Cebolla de chucho.

THAI : ตาลปัตรฤาษี dtaa-lá-bpàt reu-sĕe, ผักคันจอง pàk kan jong, ผักพาย pàk paai (phak phaai)*.

VIETNAMESE : Cây kèo nèo, Cù nèo, Rau kèo nèo, Kèo nèo, Nê thảo, Tai tượng, Thèo Lèo.

Limnocharis laforestii Duchass. ex Griseb.

Limnocharis flava var. minor Micheli 

ENGLISH : Laforest’s limnocharis.

SPANISH : Limnocharis más pequeñas.

PORTUGUESE : Limnocharis menor.

*1. Notes on Bengali names 

• Perhaps Holdey pana is a bad transcription of the word  হলদেপানা Haladēpānā ? 
• Could Sawah lettuce possibly have been confused with water spinach in Bengali. Apparently Limnocharis is harvested as an edible by some people, that would explain it. Non Bengla people quote the names Kalmi and Kengkong for Sawah lettuce. Should the names of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) such as Bengali কলমি Kalami and Indonesian Kangkong apply here ?

*2. Note on Thai names

This is a good example showing the importance of native scripts and the error-proned romanised versions.

ผักพาย is romanised as pàk paai or phak phaai a tiny step away from being transcribed as phak phai, ผักไผ่ in native script. This later name means edible leaf and is legitimately applied to Persicaria odorata, the Vietnamese coriander, and possibly other plants. In reality it is not a huge problem given that Limnocharis is considered edible by many people around the world. The purists on the other hand would cringe at the attribution of a name to both a universally recognized edible and a plant mostly considered as a noxious weed worldwide.