Botanical Latin Translations

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(updated 19 November 2025)



Dracocephalum ruyschiana L.

Taxonomic history:
   1753: Linnaeus described this species as Dracocephalum ruyschiana in Species Plantarum, 1st edition, p. 595.
   today: The current name for this species is Dracocephalum ruyschiana L.


original Latin description
Dracocephalum floribus spicatis, foliis bracteisque lanceolatis indivisis muticis.

English translation
Dracocephalum with flowers spicate; [and] with leaf blades and bracts lanceolate, undivided, and blunt-tipped.


English translation with commentary

Dracocephalum Dracocephalum
with flowers floribus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun flos, floris
spicate; spicatis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective spicatus, -a, -um; modifies floribus
[and] [added for smoother reading]
with leaf blades foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, folii
and (with) bracts bracteisque = bracteis (ablative plural of first declension feminine noun bractea, -ae) + -que (and)
lanceolate, lanceolatis - ablative plural feminine/neuter of group A adjective lanceolatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis and bracteis
undivided, indivisis - ablative plural feminine/neuter of group A adjective indivisus, -a, -um; modifies foliis and bracteis
[and] [added for smoother reading]
with blunt tips. muticis - ablative plural feminine/neuter of group A adjective muticus, -a, -um; modifies foliis and bracteis


For a list of botanical Latin translations, please click here.         To access the Species Plantarum concordance, please click here.