Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Agrostis paradoxa in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 62 of Ray Society 1957 facsimile.
Today: The current name for this species is Piptatherum paradoxum (L.) P. Beauv.
original Latin description
Agrostis flosculis aristatis gemellis: altero sterili terminalibus ternis.
English translation
Agrostis with florets awned [and] paired: with one [floret] sterile, terminal, [and] ternate.
| Agrostis | Agrostis |
| with florets | flosculis - ablative plural of second declension masculine noun flosculus, -i |
| awned | aristatis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective aristatus, -a, -um; modifies flosculis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| paired: | gemellis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective gemellus, -a, -um; modifies flosculis |
| with one [floret] | altero - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective alter, altera, alterum |
| sterile | sterilis - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective sterilis, -is, -e |
| terminal, | terminalis - ablative singular masculine of group B adjective terminalis, -is, -e |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| ternate. | ternis - ablative [plural?] masculine of group A adjective terni, ternae, terna |