Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s9.40

v1.c3.s9.40

A list of the minor parts of which a plant is made up is given in the later Saṃhitās.³ It comprises the root (*mūla*), the panicle (*tūla*), the stem (*kāṇḍa*), the twig (*valśa*), the flower (*puṣpa*), and the fruit (*phala*), while trees⁴ have, in addition, a corona (*skandha*), branches (*śākhā*), and leaves (*parṇa*). The Atharvaveda⁵ gives an elaborate, though not very intelligible, division of plants into those which expand (*pra-stṛṇatīḥ*), are bushy (*stambinīḥ*), have only one sheath (*eka-śuṅgāḥ*), are creepers (*pra-tanvatīḥ*), have many stalks (*aṃsumatīḥ*), are jointed (*kāṇḍinīḥ*), or have spreading branches (*vi-śākhāḥ*). In the Rigveda⁶ plants are termed ‘fruitful’ (*phalinīḥ*), ‘blossoming’ (*puṣpavatīḥ*), and ‘having flowers’ (*pra-sūvarīḥ*).