Vanaspati: Plants and Plant-Life as in Indian Treatises and Traditions c5.s3.22

c5.s3.22

Trees, shrubs and herbs used to be distinguished by the long or short, hard and strong or less strong and succulent stems. Plants growing on other plants (वृक्षोपरि वृक्षे) are known as pargāchhā (परगाछा इति ख्याते). These include both Parasites and Epiphytes. Parasites are called vrikshādanī (cascuta—वृक्षादनो वृक्षमति युः), that which (guest) eats (अदन—sucks food from) another tree (host). Epiphytes are called vriksha-rūhā (वृक्षरुहा—वृक्षे रोहति इति), i.e., that which simply lives on another tree without drawing nourishment from the latter. One of the examples given is Guḷuchi (Tinospora cordifolia)—it is called chhinnarūhā (छिन्नरुहा—छित्रापि रोहति जायते कः)—“it grows and lives even when torn.” Another example Vanda Roxburghii Br., i.e., Orchid (Rasna) is known (Colebrook), but its habitat is not described. (See infra, classification). Lower plants such as Mosses and green Algae are noticed but not described (such as जलनीली तु शैवालम्—Amara). Saprophytic plants, such as Mush-rooms (plants with no fruits and flowers), are correctly described with their habitats, but not separately classified. Mush-room is thus described:—it is called Chhatrā (छत्रा)¹ as its shape is exactly like that of an umbrella. “It is generally found to grow on stalks of straw (palāla), or is seen vegetating on the stems of bamboo (veṇu) or sugarcane, or as sprouting up from beneath the surface of the ground (udbhida), or growing on a heap of decomposed cowdung (karisha).”¹