Hello, I was wondering if anybody knows anything about the origins of the word ballart, as in the English common names of several Exocarpos species? Are there any plants outside of this genus which are called ballarts? Does it come from an indigenous word, or someone’s name, or a broader word for a type of plant, or some other origin? I am just curious. Any help or pointing me in some kind of direction appreciated :)
Is it related to Ballarat, the Australian city which in turn is derived from an aboriginal name for a resting place?
I asked about this in a Facebook group I’m in (‘Making sense of Australian botanical names’), and got this helpful response from Charles Young:
I believe ballart comes from indigenous names (of which there are many) for the plants or their edible fruits. The photo is a page from Maiden’s 1889 book “The Useful Plants of Australia” where some indigenous names are recorded. Isaac’s “Bush Foods” also states that the common name is derived from similar aboriginal names given to the fruit “ballee and ballat in Gippsland, pallert at Lake Condah and balad as far south as Wilson’s Promontory.” How the names are recorded in English appears to depend on the ear of the listener/documenter and (perhaps) the passage of time! (eg the Lake Condah name is stated as ballot and pallert in two different sources). Another source states that balaad is the name in the Wergaia and Djadjala dialects of the Wemba language. Hope that helps.
Fantastic!! Thank you so much!!!