Botany Photo of the Day

Elleanthus caravata - Z10 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths

Caravata is a Portuguese surname. (Also modern Greek.) There seem to be other species named caravata by Aublet, so perhaps it was after an individual by that name. Any similar words in classical or late Latin have to do with either linen or boats, which seems unlikely. It is a gorgeous flower, which has something bromeliad-like about it. Could this be a case of convergent evolution in a very similar environment?

Generally, though, a surname has -ii appended to it, e.g., menziesiii, thomsonii (to use a recent examples), or aubletii (I checked, and some plants are named after Aublet).

If you're interested about convergent evolution, see convergent evolution via Wikipedia. From what is possible to discern via a photograph, it would appear so, though I think a cross-section of the inflorescences of each would be necessary to ensure similar form and function.

Individual flowers do look like they are sitting in boats, so if he had not used "caravata" for other plants...

Another clue via Douglas: The suffix -atus / -ata / -atum indicates (in the verb sense) an action made or done.

Stearn, BOTANICAL LATIN (David & Charles), under Latin Adjectival Suffixes (p. 299):

"-atus -a -um: (1) indicates possession or likeness; noun base; e.g. capitatus, with a head (from caput, head), ovatus, egg-shaped (from ovum, egg); (2) perfect participal ending of verbs of First Conjugation, indicating an action made or done; e.g. fucatus, coloured (from fucare, to colour)."

Likeness to a caravel (a Portuguese sailing boat)?

And the caravel is on its way
I can hear the merry gypsies play...

Indeed most species names that are adopted from proper names are in the genitive case of the latinized name. In this case that would unpack as caravatae. I cannot find a latin verb that would support caravatus or caravata as a perfect passive participle as suggested. I checked Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Catalan dictionaries to no avail, for both caravata and carabada; there is a Gascon or Pyranean dialect word crabata or carabata, meaning cravat or necktie, but that is going over the top. The only biographical information I saw on Aublet online was an interesting but unhelpful paragraph on French wikipedia. However, I wonder if Aublet did not have some Brazilian assistant whom he might have named specimens for as Humboldt (in the same territory) named them for Bonpland (e.g. Ephynes bonplandii).

At http://www.thermashotel.com.br/ESP/Bromelia_pinguin.htm the name caravata is listed under "other popular names" for Bromelia pinguin. Perhaps the name Elleanthus caravata was chosen to reflect the similarity of the inflorescence to a bromeliad.

Steve I think you have hit the nail on the head. The interesting site you mentioned gave caraguata as a synonym - caraguata is the popular Spanish name for Tillandsia rubra and Bromelia serra, so we seem to have a Latin American term for a range of bromeliads. As mentioned above, the similarity to a bromeliad inflorescence is striking. Thanks for the insight! It would be nice if we had some Central or South American bioethnologists chipping in!

I like that last one. However, again, the thing to do--short of finding a description of the orchid that explains the naming--is to discover what all the plants named "caravata" might have in common. If this is the only one that resembles a bromeliad than that probably wouldn't be it--unless the epithet was applied for varying reasons.

Hi Daniel

Looking at this intriguing orchid , I see a necktie or cravat of yellow florets Perhaps stretching a bit but check out . . . http://www.croatians.com/tie.htm

Brian

Brian, I considered that as well, but I don't know what a cravat would look like three hundred years ago. I lean towards Steve's suggestion.