Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Local names for vascular plants in the John Crow mountains, Jamaica

  • Published:
Economic Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Local names of vascular plants, accompanied by botanical specimens, were collected in the John Crow Mountains, Portland Parish, Jamaica. Each of the names was volunteered by one local informant; many were independently corroborated by others. We recorded 91 names of forest trees and shrubs, 20 names of climbers, and 33 names of other plants. The uneven distribution of local names among different categories of plants is discussed. The names are mostly of English origin, with a scattering from Spanish, Amerindian and West African languages. Many names are not listed in the standard floras; 20 names are apparently hitherto unrecorded in print. The same name was often found to be applied to a different species from the usage given in the floras, showing the variation in vernacular names from one part of the island to another.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Adams, C. D. 1972. Flowering Plants of Jamaica. Univ. West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barham, H. 1794. Hortus Americanus. Aikman, Kingston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berlin, B. 1973. Folk systematics in relation to biological classification and nomenclature. Annual Rev. Ecol. Syst. 4: 259–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, C. V. 1965. The Story of Jamaica: From Prehistory to Present. Collins, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Browne, P. 1756. The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica. Osborn & Shipton, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassidy, F. G. 1961. Jamaica Talk: Three Hundred Years of the English Language in Jamaica. Institute of Jamaica, Kingston. Macmillan, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • —, and R. B. Le Page. 1967. Dictionary of Jamaican English. Cambridge Univ. Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fawcett, W., and A. B. Rendle. 1910-1936. Flora of Jamaica. Vol. III, Dicotyledons, Part I, 1914; Vol. IV, Dicotyledons, Part II, 1920; Vol. V, Dicotyledons, Part III, 1926; Vol. VII, Dicotyledons, Part V, 1936. British Museum (Natural History), London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grisebach, A. H. R. 1859. Flora of the British West Indian Islands. London.

  • Kelly, D. L. 1985. Native forest in the John Crow Mountains, northeast Jamaica. In D. Thompson, P. Bretting, and M. Humphries, ed., The Forests of Jamaica. Inst. Jamaica Press, Kingston, Jamaica (In press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Proctor, G. R. 1982. More additions to the flora of Jamaica. J. Arnold Arbor. 63: 199–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sloane, H. 1725. A Voyage To... JAMAICA, with the Natural History. Vol. II. British Museum, London.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Botany, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland

    Daniel L. Kelly

  2. School of Forestry, Lakehead University, P7B 5E1, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

    Timothy A. Dickinson

  3. Both formerly of Department of Botany, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica

    Timothy A. Dickinson

Authors
  1. Daniel L. Kelly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Timothy A. Dickinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kelly, D.L., Dickinson, T.A. Local names for vascular plants in the John Crow mountains, Jamaica. Econ Bot 39, 346–362 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858806

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858806

Keywords

Search

Navigation