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| Initial Editorial Analysis Nov 1 2001 | ||
| Source of Report for California | ||
| a | The Jepson Manual [Ed. 1] | |
| b | 27 Nov 2002 e-mail from Barbara Ertter: While we're on the topic of etymology, Marah is not of Latin derivation (as indicated in The Jepson Manual [Ed. 1]), but rather an Old Testament allusion, so probably Hebrew. As summarized in my "People, Plants, and Politics" article: Among Kellogg's originalities was his fondness for Biblical references, such as his choice of Marah for a genus of wild cucumbers. Although a Latin derivation for the generic name is commonly stated (e.g., Schlising, 1993), Kellogg's protologue indicates instead a Hebrew origin, with the tantalizing note that "The significance of the name we have chosen would be better understood by perusing Exodus xv: 22-26" (Kellogg, 1855, p. 38). This leads one to the following passage, as Moses led the Hebrews through the wilderness: "When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah [Bitterness]." The use of Marah as a genus name was challenged by Torrey and Gray on the grounds that "it was neither a native nor a personal name, nor one derived from either Greek or Latin," a charge countered by Kellogg's defenders; e.g., "It is a name taken from a literature with which we are all familiar, and its application appears a sufficiently happy one to any person who has accidentally tasted the copious watery juice of the fruit" (Curran, 1885, pp. 129-130).//Curran, M.K. 1885. List of plants described in California, principally in the Proc. of the Cal. Acad. of Sciences, by Dr. Albert Kellogg, Dr. H.H. Behr, and Mr. H.N. Bolander; with an attempt at their identification. Bulletin of the California Academy of Sciences 1: 128-151.//Ertter, B. 2000. People, plants, and politics: the development of institution-based botany in California, 1853-1906. In: M.T. Ghiselin & A.E. Leviton, editors, Cultures and Institutions of Natural History. California Academy of Sciences Memoir 25: 203-248.//Kellogg, Albert. 1855. [Marah.] Proceedings of California Academy of Natural Sciences 1 [2nd edition]: 37-38.//Schlising, Robert L. 1993. Cucurbitaceae. pp. 535-538. In: Hickman, James C. (editor). The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley." | |
| Initial Editorial Comments | according to Source b, the genus name Marah is not of Latin derivation (as indicated in The Jepson Manual [Ed. 1]), but rather it is an Old Testament allusion, and therefore probably Hebrew; it is in reference to the bitter taste of watery juice of the fruit. | |
| Correspondence and Comments Subsequent to Initial Analysis | ||
| Correspondence 1 | 14 Feb 2011 e-mail from Jeff Greenhouse, including forwarded e-mails from John L. Strother, Kanchi Gandhi, and Avinoam Danin see Comment 1 | |
| Editorial Comments 1 | Correspondence 1 indicates that Marah is properly treated as feminine. | |
| Editorial Summary and Current Status | ||
| Current Status | JFP-15, genus name | |
| Current Status Authority | not applicable | |
| List of names for this Current Status category | ||
| List of ICPN names in Marah
List of names from ICPN, Hrusa's Crosswalk, and Jepson Flora | ||
| Resources of the Jepson Flora Project: | External links: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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