乍然聽到「黃蟬」這名字，還真是搞不懂為什麼植物要取動物的名字。不知當初為它取名的植物學家們所據為何？

我常到桃園縣蘆竹鄉下去散步，沿途上常可看到人們在庭院內外種植這種「軟枝黃蟬」，一年到頭花期不斷。花色從鵝黃到褐黃、焦黃都有，也都不失它的亮麗可人。不過我內人看到這種花卻頗為忌諱，說那是「死人花」──原因是在嘉義那邊，人們都在墳墓區內扦插這種花，以美化墓園。小時候她上學都要經過那裡，難免心裡毛毛的，自然會有「不吉利」的聯想。

其實啊，花哪有什麼吉不吉利？只有美或不美罷了。

When I first heard the Chinese name of the flower allamanda-"yellow cicada," it made me wonder why plants must be named after animals. Why did the botanist who named it give it this name?

I often go walking in Luchu Township, Taoyuan County, and I commonly see that people have planted allamanda in their courtyards. This flower blooms all year round. The bright and pleasing flower can be many shades of yellow. My wife, however, dislikes this flower, and refers to it as the "dead man's flower." The reason is that people down around Chiayi plant allamanda on tombs in order to beautify their cemeteries. My wife passed a graveyard on the way to school when she was a child, and it always made her uneasy. As a result, she naturally associates allamanda with misfortune.

But can a flower actually be auspicious or inauspicious? It can only be attractive or unattractive.　＠

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責任編輯：昌英