Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Carex arenaria in Species Plantarum, 1st edition, p. 973.
today: The current name for this species is Carex arenaria L.
original Latin diagnosis
Carex spica composita, spiculis androgynis: inferioribus remotioribus, foliolo longiori instructis, culmo triquetro.
English translation
Carex with a spike compound; with spikelets androgynous: the lower at a distance from each other. [and] with a longer leaflet provided; [and] with the culm three-angled in cross-section.
English translation with commentary
| Carex | Carex |
| with a spike | spica - ablative singular of first declension feminine noun spica, -ae |
| compound, | composita - ablative singular feminine of perfect passive participle of third conjugation verb compono, componere, composui, compositum; modifies spica |
| with spikelets | spiculis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun spicula, -ae |
| androgynous: | androgynis - ablative plural feminine of group A adjective androgynus, -a, -um; modifies spiculis |
| the lower | inferioribus - ablative plural feminine of comparative degree of group A adjective inferus, -a, -um; agrees with spiculis |
| at a distance from each other; | remotioribus - ablative plural feminine of comparative degree of group A adjective remotus, -a, -um; agrees with spiculis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with a longer | longiori - ablative singular neuter of comparative degree of group A adjective longus, -a, -um; modifies foliolo |
| leaflet | foliolo - ablative singular of second declension neuter noun foliolum, -i |
| provided; | insructis - ablative plural feminine of perfect passive participle of third conjugation verb instruo, instruere, instruxi, instructum; agrees with spiculis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with the culm | culmo - ablative singular of second declension masculine noun culmus, -i |
| three-angled in cross-section. | triquetro - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective triquetrus, -a, -um; modifies culmo |