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After doing some more digging into " E. knuthii ", I realized there are a few things about it that seem to have been misunderstood for quite a while, so I want to go into detail here. Just a heads-up: everything here is based on speculation and I don’t have concrete proof.

How to Read the Scientific Name

Let’s start with the scientific name "knuthii." In Japan, it's commonly called "Kunchii"—but why? (lol) Looking at the spelling, it's "K / NU / THI / I," so said with Latin pronunciation, it should be "knoo-tee-ee." In English, it might be "knoo-thee-eye" or "knoo-thee" (or like the word "know," where the k is usually silent, so "noo-thee-eye" or "noo-thee").

There seem to be two explanations: one is that "knuthii" was pronounced "kunushii" (KUNUSHII), but got shortened and slurred to "kunchii" because it was easier to say. The other is that someone reversed the N and U in "knuthii" and ended up reading it as "kunthii"—so "kunchii." While both are just guesses, the fact that "kunthii" is an actual scientific name in other plant groups makes the misreading theory pretty convincing.

Reading the Old Name "狗奴子キリン"

One piece of evidence suggesting it may have originally been "Kunushi" is the old name, "狗奴子キリン." But even this brings its own set of misunderstandings and those classic game-of-telephone mistakes. If you search how to read "狗奴子" (these kanji), almost every website will say "Kunako." But in that case, there's no clear connection to the name "knuthii."

But consider this: the Chinese reading for "奴" is "do" or "nu"—it's actually the origin of the Japanese kana "ぬ (nu)." And "子" can be read as "shi" too. So "狗奴子" could be read as "Kunushi"! Kunushi! That's knuthii! In other words, it's natural to think that "狗奴子" was originally pronounced "Kunushi" and that the kanji were chosen just to match the sound of the scientific name.

So then, where did the reading "Kunako" come from? Probably after these kanji became widespread, someone looked them up again and found reference to the ancient country "狗奴国" (normally read as "Kunakoku," though also sometimes as "Kunukoku") in the Chinese classic "Wei Zhi," and that's where "Kunako" started spreading.

It’s not at all unusual—even outside of plants—for kanji matched by sound to take on new and unrelated readings over time. And of course, it's more stylish to say the name was "borrowed from the ancient state of Kunakoku in the Wei Zhi" than admit that "狗奴子" just matches the sound of 'Kunushi' and has no deeper meaning.

There's a slight chance that "knu" from "knuthii" was always meant to be read "kuna," but then it should really be "Kunashi." There's no basis for reading "子" as "ko" in the scientific name itself—so it's simpler and more logical to think the reading change came *after* connecting the name to "Kunakoku."

Again, this is all just speculation.

Where Does the Name knuthii Come From?

One last note. Who is knuthii actually named after? Some sources say it comes from botanist Karl Sigismund Kunth, but that's most likely a mix-up because the reading 'Kunchii' became so common. Karl Sigismund Kunth has practically nothing to do with this species, and if a plant were named for him, the scientific epithet would be "kunthii" (and in fact, there are plants named after him, using "kunthii").

For more on this, check out the article by Euphorbia-Obesa.com: "[ E. knuthii は誰に献名されたのか？](https://euphorbia-obesa.com/archives/24634742.html)" which goes into great detail.