Subject: Re: taxonomy of lychees/longans?

From: [email-masked] (Geeta Bharathan)
Date: 12 Aug 1995 13:34:16 GMT

Doug Yanega ([email-masked]) wrote:
: The proprietor of a local "chinese food" restaurant today shared with me a
: few freshly-acquired longan fruit, and I couldn't even begin to guess at
: what plant family it belongs to. Thin, easily-removed leathery rind,
: almost gelatinous flesh (is it an aril?), and a single large seed. Tasted
: remarkably similar to a sweet melon (like a honeydew), a flavor which I
: had not noticed eating lychees, which I was told are closely related
: (certainly the fruit morphology matches). So, anyone know what these are,
: what they're related to, and what pollinates them?
: -- 

Litchi = Litchi sinensis (Sapindaceae)

Longan = Dimocarpus longan (Sapindaceae)
         (used to be Litchi longan, according to Mabberley)

---

From: [email-masked] (Geeta Bharathan)
Date: 12 Aug 1995 13:38:29 GMT

Daan Sandee ([email-masked]) wrote:

: Look no further than the online dictionary ...

: longan (lon gan; long g <x2> n) n. 
: 1 n.
:         the small, one - seeded, greenish - brown, pleasant - tasting
:         fruit of the large, evergreen, sapindaceous tree, Euphorbia
:         longan, native to China and allied to the litchi.

Not sure in what sense Euphorbia is allied to litchi. 
I believe that longan is actually Dimerocarpus longan, also of Sapindaceae. 

--Geeta

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 17:46:47 -0600

The proprietor of a local "chinese food" restaurant today shared with me a
few freshly-acquired longan fruit, and I couldn't even begin to guess at
what plant family it belongs to. Thin, easily-removed leathery rind,
almost gelatinous flesh (is it an aril?), and a single large seed. Tasted
remarkably similar to a sweet melon (like a honeydew), a flavor which I
had not noticed eating lychees, which I was told are closely related
(certainly the fruit morphology matches). So, anyone know what these are,
what they're related to, and what pollinates them?
-- 
Doug Yanega
Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity
607 E. Peabody Dr. Champaign, IL 61820  USA
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is
    the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

---

From: [email-masked] (mel turner)
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 1995 16:17:04

>I believe that longan is actually Dimerocarpus longan, also of Sapindaceae. 

    That was probably a typo-- that name should have been spelled  _Euphoria_ 
(like the happy feeling), not _Euphorbia_, which is an unrelated genus.    
I've seen  _Euphoria longan_  used in some older books; it  must have been 
renamed for some taxonomic or nomenclatural reason.    The 8th edition of 
Willis' Dictionary lists _Euphoria_ as a synonym of Litchi.
mdt

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 1995 21:21:54 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>,

> what they're related to, and what pollinates them?

Thanks for the pointers, to those who responded - with that starting
point, I was able to find out the following additional tidbits about the
lychee, which probably hold for the longan, as well:

The fleshy part *is* indeed an aril

The flowers are pollinated by honeybees (Apis) and Stingless honeybees
(Melipona, Trigona), which are native to Asia, and make up the bulk of
floral visitors. Bagged flowers do not produce fruit, but trees are
self-compatible. When grown in the US (Florida), where wild honeybees are
rare, most of the visitors are flies.

Cheers,

---

From: [email-masked] (Daan Sandee)
Date: 12 Aug 1995 02:19:27 GMT

>what they're related to, and what pollinates them?

Look no further than the online dictionary ...

longan (lon gan; long g <x2> n) n. 
1 n.
        the small, one - seeded, greenish - brown, pleasant - tasting
        fruit of the large, evergreen, sapindaceous tree, Euphorbia
        longan, native to China and allied to the litchi.
2 n.
        the tree itself.
        lungan. 
Etymology:
        f.  NL longan(^B um) f.  Chin lung - yen dragon's eye

litchi (li tchi; l <y3> ch <y3>) n., pl. - tchis. 
1 n.
        the fruit of a Chinese, sapindaceous tree, Litchi chinensis, consisting
        of a thin, brittle shell enclosing a sweet, jellylike pulp
        and a single seed.
2 n.
        the tree itself.
        lichee, lichi. 
Etymology:
        f.  Chin li chih 

Can't help you with pollination, sorry.
(Sapindaceous = belonging to the Sapindaceae, or soapberry family.)

Daan Sandee                                           [email-masked]
Cambridge, MA 02142

---

From: [email-masked] (Daan Sandee)
Date: 12 Aug 1995 23:09:27 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (mel turner) writes:
|> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Geeta Bharathan) writes:
|> >Daan Sandee ([email-masked]) wrote:
|> >: Look no further than the online dictionary ...
|> >: longan (lon gan; long g <x2> n) n. 
|> >: 1 n.
|> >:         the small, one - seeded, greenish - brown, pleasant - tasting
|> >:         fruit of the large, evergreen, sapindaceous tree, Euphorbia
|> >:         longan, native to China and allied to the litchi.
|> >Not sure in what sense Euphorbia is allied to litchi. 
|> >I believe that longan is actually Dimerocarpus longan, also of Sapindaceae. 
|> >--Geeta
|> 
|> That was probably a typo-- that name should have been spelled  _Euphoria_ 
|> (like the happy feeling), not _Euphorbia_, which is an unrelated genus.    
|> I've seen  _Euphoria longan_  used in some older books; it  must have been 
|> renamed for some taxonomic or nomenclatural reason.    The 8th edition of 
|> Willis' Dictionary lists _Euphoria_ as a synonym of Litchi.
|> mdt

Thanks. That solves my problem. Only after posting about Euphorbia - and
I didn't type it, I used cut-n-paste ; the typo is Random House's - did
I realize that it was really odd to describe a spurge as a large, evergreen,
sapindaceous tree. Never trust a dictionary.
A long time ago, I found the following in the same dictionary :

    asparagus (as par a gus; <x2> <en> spar <x2> <en> g <x2> s) n.
    1 n.
            any liliaceous plant of the genus Asparagus, esp. A. officianalis,
            cultivated for its edible shoots.
    
Puzzle : spot the typo. Apparently they didn't use a knowledgeable editor.

---

From: [email-masked] (mel turner)
Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 11:49:47

>Willis' Dictionary lists _Euphoria_ as a synonym of Litchi.

It is perhaps regrettable that this generic name was changed-- it might have 
allowed for some amusing titles  to agricultural research papers:

" Improved Methods for Producing Euphoria in Southern Florida"

 (of course the agricultural extension folks would have used "longan" 
instead, anyway...)

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 1995 18:35:12 -0600

> " Improved Methods for Producing Euphoria in Southern Florida"

It's too bad the plant genus name is lost, but _Euphoria_ is still a valid
name for a common genus of North American scarab beetles, some of which
are quite striking iridescent green and/or orange. It isn't too hard to
find plant and animals sharing a generic name, either, though to those
familiar with one, the other may seem very odd (like the genus _Cannabis_,
which is a bird).
   While on the topic, another good scarab genus is _Enema_ (including the
species _Enema pan_), and there are many stranger animal names. I have a
rather large list of odd animal names, from _Abra cadabra_ (a snail) to
_Ytu brutus_ (a beetle), and would be interested if anyone has similarly
entertaining plant names (whether intentional or not). Surely there must
be some botanical taxonomists with a sense of playfulness? Even a genus
name over, say, 25 letters would be noteworthy (e.g.,
_Cancelloidokytodermogammarus_, a crustacean).
Cheers,
-- 
Doug Yanega
Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity
607 E. Peabody Dr. Champaign, IL 61820  USA
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is
    the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

---

From: [email-masked] (Mahlon G. Kelly)
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 21:05:55 GMT

> _Cancelloidokytodermogammarus_, a crustacean).

Well, there is Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, a sea urchin,
which I have been told is the longest scientific name.

-- 
Associate Professor (Emeritus)
University of Virginia
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Mark Isaak)
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 17:58:49 GMT

>which I have been told is the longest scientific name.

I understand there is a fossil (dinoflagellate, I think) with the genus name
_Archaeohystrichosphaeridium_.

Are there any species with shorter names than _Ips piri_ or _Zea mays_?

Also of note in the category of consecutive letters is the Hawaiian
troglobitic water strider _Speovelia aaa_.
-- 
Mark Isaak                "It is impossible for anyone to learn that
[email-masked]           which he thinks he already knows." - Plutarch

---

From: [email-masked] (Glenn M. Berntson)
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 08:30:22 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>,

> which I have been told is the longest scientific name.

I hope the humor is not too basal - but I have found the scientific name
for pitch pine to be most amusing:  Pinus rigida

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 17:13:24 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Mark Isaak) wrote:

>Even a genus

I would say that _Cancelloidokytodermogammarus
(Loveninsuskytodermogammarus) loveni_ is longer, even if you exclude the
subgeneric name. But if you're going to be a stickler, the sea urchin (at
32 letters) doesn't even come close to the 42 letters in
_Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides_ (a Stratiomyid fly). That is
the longest binomial I know of. Whoever told you that obviously was
unfamiliar with the insect literature (another fly, _Prolasioptera
aeschynanthusperottetii_ also outdoes the urchin)

> Are there any species with shorter names than _Ips piri_ or _Zea mays_?

Yes. There's _Ia io_ and _Aha ha_, both shorter.

> troglobitic water strider _Speovelia aaa_.

I have that one on my list as _Cavaticovelia aaa_ ; probably a synonym.
There is also a genus _Aa_ and another, _Aaadonta_, plus a genus _Ba_
(with a species _humbugi_; all three are mollusks). Lots of nutty stuff
out there, but I still haven't gotten ONE botanical name to add to my
list.
-- 
Doug Yanega
Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Biodiversity
607 E. Peabody Dr. Champaign, IL 61820  USA
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is
    the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

---

From: [email-masked] (James C. Harrison)
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 1995 01:28:38 GMT

Mark Isaak ([email-masked]) wrote:
: In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Mahlon G. Kelly) writes:
: >[email-masked]  writes:
: >>    While on the topic, another good scarab genus is _Enema_ (including the
: >> species _Enema pan_), and there are many stranger animal names. I have a
: >> rather large list of odd animal names, from _Abra cadabra_ (a snail) to
: >> _Ytu brutus_ (a beetle), and would be interested if anyone has similarly
: >> entertaining plant names (whether intentional or not). Surely there must
: >> be some botanical taxonomists with a sense of playfulness? Even a genus
: >> name over, say, 25 letters would be noteworthy (e.g.,
: >> _Cancelloidokytodermogammarus_, a crustacean).
: >
: >Well, there is Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, a sea urchin,
: >which I have been told is the longest scientific name.

: I understand there is a fossil (dinoflagellate, I think) with the genus name
: _Archaeohystrichosphaeridium_.

: Are there any species with shorter names than _Ips piri_ or _Zea mays_?

: Also of note in the category of consecutive letters is the Hawaiian
: troglobitic water strider _Speovelia aaa_.
: -- 
: Mark Isaak                "It is impossible for anyone to learn that
: [email-masked]           which he thinks he already knows." - Plutarch

How about the bolo spider, Mastagophora dizzydeani?

hexis

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From: [email-masked] (Daan Sandee)
Date: 17 Aug 1995 22:48:19 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Mark Isaak) writes:
|> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Mahlon G. Kelly) writes:
|> >Well, there is Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, a sea urchin,
|> >which I have been told is the longest scientific name.
|> 
|> I understand there is a fossil (dinoflagellate, I think) with the genus name
|> _Archaeohystrichosphaeridium_.
|> 
|> Are there any species with shorter names than _Ips piri_ or _Zea mays_?

Bos bos ? And is there a Mus mus ?
There are, of course, lots of 4+4s, such as Tyto alba, and both Asio otus
and Otus asio.  That kind of thing is much more common in zoology than in 
botany.
|> 
|> Also of note in the category of consecutive letters is the Hawaiian
|> troglobitic water strider _Speovelia aaa_.

Note also the genus Haliaeetus - actually a 19th-century screwup, it
should have been Haliaetus.

P.S. What's troglobitic ? Do you mean troglodytic ? Seriously.

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From: [email-masked] (David P. Adam)
Date: Fri, 18 Aug 1995 16:15:34 GMT

[email-masked] (Doug Yanega) wrote:

> Surely there must be some botanical taxonomists with a sense of playfulness?

I have always admired the name _Tribulus terrestris_ L., aka puncture
vine or goathead, as an inspired description of a plant whose seeds
can make a pair of tennis shoes feel like hobnailed boots.
Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy
U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California 94025
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Robin Panza)
Date: 18 Aug 95 09:44:18 -5

> Are there any species with shorter names than _Ips piri_ or _Zea mays_?

_Aha ha_, a species of sphecid wasp.

Robin Panza          [email-masked]
Section of Birds
Carnegie MNH

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From: [email-masked] (darin)
Date: 22 Aug 1995 00:44:38 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,

> _Cancelloidokytodermogammarus_, a crustacean).

 I'm sure most people who suffer from hayfever will find it 
 incongruous that the genus name for ragweed, the cause of their
suffering, is 'Ambrosia'.
-- 
 darin
[email-masked]
"cogito cogito ergo cogito sum" - ambrose bierce

---

From: [email-masked] (Timothy Tyler)
Date: 23 Aug 1995 00:02:50 GMT

There is a Sphecid wasp Aha ha, named by Howard Evans who was a Professor 
of Entomology at Harvard and later at Colorado State University.

Tim Tyler, 

My opinions are my own, not those of DCN or CDFA.

---

From: [email-masked] (Jari Oksanen)
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 15:12:41

>of Entomology at Harvard and later at Colorado State University.

Is there anything interesting (namewise) in the genus Aa (Orchidaceae)?

--- Jari Oksanen, Tromssa, Ruija / Romsa, Norga / Tromsø, Norge

---

From: [email-masked] (Edwin Barkdoll)
Date: 23 Aug 1995 19:06:49 GMT

Timothy Tyler ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Mark Isaak ([email-masked]) wrote:
: : Are there any species with shorter names than _Ips piri_ or _Zea mays_?

: There is a Sphecid wasp Aha ha, named by Howard Evans who was a Professor 
: of Entomology at Harvard and later at Colorado State University.

There is also a Vespertilionid bat _Ia io_.

--
Edwin Barkdoll
[email-masked]
[email-masked]

---

From: <[email-masked]>
Date: 24 Aug 1995 15:25:10 GMT

In response to your question about interesting names:

	The genus Dyaria is named after a student of moths and mosquitoes.  
However, its effect wasn't very honoring to Mr. Dyar.

	The genus Townesilitus was named after Henry Townes, an authority on 
wasps.  There is another wasp named Mozartella beethoveni!

	I'm sure there are many more of these funny latin names.

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 16:54:47 -0600

> Is there anything interesting (namewise) in the genus Aa (Orchidaceae)?

I don't know, but there is also a genus of mollusks by the same name, _Aa_.

---

From: [email-masked] (Doug Yanega)
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 17:06:02 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
(Tien-Yee Chiu) wrote:

> Gary Larson reported some species of bloodsucking mite named after him by an
> entomologist fan; don't remember the genus, but the species was apparently
> "garylarsonii".  The choice of insect was particularly apropos, considering
> his sense of humor!
> 
> Does anyone know anything about the persistent rumors of a _Python montiensis_
> (Monty Python)??

These names have come up elsewhere in this thread;
Strigiphilus garylarsoni (an owl louse, not a  mite)
Montypythonoides riversleighensis (a fossil snake, named in 1985)

I've found a few more to contribute myself, these all different fly
genera, which are valid words in other contexts;

Acadia
Anthrax
Apolysis
Oestrus
Prolepsis
Prorates
Sepsis
Villa

and some which are not but are amusing or unusual in some way;

Cinderella
Glutops
Leia (another one for Star Wars fans)
Pnyxia ("PNYX" has gotta be unique)

and among moths there are

Balsa
Trachea

and a skipper genus

Problema

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From: [email-masked] (Mark Isaak)
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 1995 17:10:34 GMT

How about palindomes?  I have seen Aa (Orchidaceae), Aha (sphecid wasp), and
Atta (leafcutter ant).  Surely there are longer ones?

_Aha ha_ provides an example where the binomial is palindromic.  Any others?
-- 
Mark Isaak                "It is impossible for anyone to learn that
[email-masked]           which he thinks he already knows." - Plutarch

---

From: [email-masked] (Tien-Yee Chiu)
Date: 24 Aug 1995 19:07:54 GMT

Tien Chiu
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (J. A. Kiernan)
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 15:20:18 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> <[email-masked]> writes:
>From: <[email-masked]>
>Subject: Re: _Euphoria_ and other catchy names (was Re: taxonomy of
>lychees/longans?)
>Date: 24 Aug 1995 15:25:10 GMT

>        In response to your question about interesting names:

    The fungus Phallus impudicus (stinkhorn) has a
    name that's interestingly descriptive.

---

From: Gary Williams <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 Sep 1995 04:54:02 GMT

How about the genus Lycoperdon (wolf-fart). A genus of very common 
puffballs.