Abstract

NOMENCLATURE ON FLORAL PARTS OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS – A REVIEW

Dr. Ragini Garg*, Dr. Amrita Sharma, Dr. Chandershekhar Sharma and Dr. S.K. Sharma

Abstract

Living in close vicinity with plants man used to utilize the natural wealth with great understanding and appreciation. Plants and its diversity allured and tempted them to seek the best out of it and care for it. Ancient Indian sages had commendable knowledge of the Plant kingdom of India. Indian Literature and Vedic history is brimmed with illustrations in the history digging into the elegance of nature in the past. Ayurveda Materia Medica inscribes many plants with diverse names and uses. Naming a plant provides a means of communication and a reference. Nomenclature of medicinal plants has been an integral part of Ayurveda since Vedic period. Nomenclature or naming the plants has a lead role in pharmacognostical identification of plant and is the main field of taxonomy. Many times, different parts of plants such as roots, seeds, flowers, fruits etc are used for naming the plants. Ayurvedic Materia medica (Dravyaguna Vijnana) has designated as a distinct branch on nomenclature called as ‘Namarupavijnana’. The synonyms were coined based on various considerations. Flowers are beautiful creation of God adding magic to the environs. This paper highlights the nomenclature of some of the plants listed in lexicons related with flower morphology revealing its importance in naming the plants in the ancient times.

Keywords: Flowers, Morphology, Namarupvijnana, Nomenclature, Pushpa, Synonyms.