793.8.4 Other Named Trees
Some trees have names even though they are not sacred or sources of honey , nor do
they have any unique physical characteristics. miḍi ma:vu probably refers to a
mango tree that has small fruit that are slow to ripen. The name tanguḷu ma:vu , on
the other, gives an indication of the tree’s origin. It is said that this mango tree
sprouted from seeds discarded by people who had once rested here, and eaten a
meal ( tanguḷu is the Solega word for ‘leftovers’). Finally, the tree named huli
ha:rida honne ‘ tiger jumped P.marsupium ’ may have been named after regular
sightings of the animal near it (see the following section for a more detailed discus-
sion on toponyms that refer to animals). This is a tree with numerous claw marks on
its bark, both old and new, and it is possible that a tiger might even rest on it, given
its low, almost horizontal branches (Fig. 3.4b ).
Table 3.3 Individual trees with Solega proper names
Religious doḍḍa sampage big + Michelia champaca
cikka sampage small + M. champaca
Bee trees jo:ḍu turuve twin + Ligustrum perottettii
do:vu ma:vu ba:ge? + mango + Albizzia odoratissima
basappana kaḍavina aranelli PERSON + stream + tree.name
doḍḍa koḷḷada aranelli big + pool + tree.name
iṭṭu bu:di soravilu fl our + ash + Acrocarpus fraxinifolius
si:ge guḷi ba:ge* Acacia sinuata + pit + A. odoratissima
modeya:na ta:ri*? + Terminalia bellirica
doḍḍa sampage soravilu* big + Michelia champaca + A. fraxinifolius
siguri haḷḷa soravilu* Memecylon umbellatum + stream + A.
fraxinifolius
gummana guḍḍe ta:ri* owl + hill + T. bellirica
du:pa mara* in kambaligadde
evergreen forest?kende mara* in kambaligadde
evergreen forest?Physical uiya:le ta:ri swing + T. bellirica
juṇṭu a:dire tree.top + tree.name
koma:ra matti doorframe + T. crenulata
seḷeyana honne very.tall + Pterocarpus marsupium
Other miḍi ma:vu small.unripe.fruit + mango.tree
tanguḷu ma:vu leftovers + mango.tree
huli ha:rida honne tiger + jump + P. marsupium
Names followed by asterisks indicate trees that are now dead