Intrepeting Latin
By insisting on using these Latin or scientific names, are we missing the forest for the trees? The article was published by First Post on 20 th May, 2017. Thanks are due to the team at First Post. The article on their website here . Trips to our forest areas often raise questions. These range from the absence of functional interpretation centres to the presence and spread of exotic species and monocultures. From the need for civil engineering in the form of boundary-walls and water-holes to the energy and interest levels of the forest-department personnel. A recent addition to this list of questions, for me, has been the use of Latin names! I came across trees, in one of our managed forests, with small metal tags nailed to their trunks. My appreciation for the effort turned to bewilderment when I noticed that the names were Latin ( or as commonly referred – scientific ). Was I supposed to remember these? FreeDictionary refers to scientific name as “ A name used by sc...