IAS Aroid Quasi Forum

About Aroid-L
 This is a continuously updated archive of the Aroid-L mailing list in a forum format - not an actual Forum. If you want to post, you will still need to register for the Aroid-L mailing list and send your postings by e-mail for moderation in the normal way.

  Re: [aroid-l] Etymology of AROID
From: "W. George Schmid" hostahill at bellsouth.net> on 2002.10.16 at 22:55:33(9556)
Hi Ric,
The entry you are referring to is in the Lewis and Short Latin Dictinary:
aros, also aron or arum = wake robin: Arum dracunculus Linn.: quod aron
vocant Plin. Unfortunately, Pliny referred to Arum dracunculus Linn. (not
wake robin = Trillium) that is now called Dracunculus vulgaris, a plant well
known to the ancient Greeks and native to the Central and Eastern
Mediterranean region. The common name wake robin is now exclusively used to
apply to our native trillium (RHS Index) so is not applicable in this case.
What we have here is Latin scholars colliding with botanists. The word aron
first appeared in Theophrastus (b.372 BC - the successor to Aristotle), who
wrote the two important botanical treatises in ancient times. One (On the
History of Plants) is the source of many of our modern scientific plant
names that was heavily referenced by modern botanist/namers like Linne.
W. George Schmid
+More
Note: this is a very old post, so no reply function is available.