Unveiling the importance and consequences on the use of morphologically allied medicinal plants bearing ethnohomonyms: a case study with two ethnomedicinal orchids from West Bengal, India

Abstract

Background: The same common names are attached to different medicinal plant species, and morphological similarities in their parts used as crude drugs often lead to the substitution of herbal drugs and misidentification of the species. The present study documented a hitherto unreported ethnobotanical perspective based on the ethnohomonyms and similarities in morphology of pseudobulbs and habits in vegetative state of the two ground orchids Eulophia explanata Lindl. and E. diffusiflora M.W.Chase, Kumar & Schuit. from West Bengal, India, interpret the possible causes of their misidentification during collection from natural habitats.

Methods: Following standard methods, 35 Santal tribal key medicine men were identified in the districts Birbhum, West Barddhaman and Bankura, West Bengal who are well known to both the orchids. Visual stimuli and in-loco identification techniques have been employed to note down the local names, morphology and ethnomedicinal uses of the two plants.

Results: Etymology of folk nomenclature of the homonyms attached to these two orchids was explained along with their diverse folk medicinal uses which reveal the needs for phytochemical explorations and pharmacological validity. The crucial morphological characters of these orchid species along with photographs have provided for a better understanding elaborated in this topic.

Conclusions: Documenting ethno-taxonomical names by cross-cultural examination with different communities will be helpful for the proper identification of the plants using different modern scientific tools and to safeguard the related local herbal knowledge.

Keywords: Tribal Homonyms, Morphology, Allied Taxa, Pseudobulbs, Ethnomedicine