The close relationship between indigenous people and plants is also confirmed in the names of places and people. Wu Hsueh-yueh says that some tribespeople are named after plants. Also, the name of one of the legendary places of origin of the Amipeople (called "Matai'an" in Chinese phonetic transcription) is, in the Ami language, the name of a widely eaten bean.
原住民與自然植物的親密關係還印證在地名和人名上，吳雪月說，有些族人就是以植物為名，而相傳是阿美族發源地之一的「馬太鞍」，在阿美語中就是阿美族經常食用的樹豆。