Amarsimha’s Amarkosa in the perspective of plant invasion in India and implications

Abstract

Amarsimhas Amarkosa (Namalinganusasanam) is an ancient Sanskrit thesaurus. It has bearing on teaching of Sanskrit but also includes information on nearly all facets of human life inclusive of Indian biodiversity. It is composed of Sanskrit verses which are replete with references to Sanskrit common plant names. The present author assessed these names and equated with Latin plant names and their respective families. This attempt deals only with the exotic plant species to decipher pant invasion in the erstwhile by consulting relevant taxonomic literature. A total of 64 species belong to 58 genera and 37 Angiospermic families. The data accrued is discussed in the light of plant invasion and implications in the then and present India.