Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Eriophorum alpinum in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 53.
today: The current name for this species is Scirpus hudsonianus (Michx.) Fernald
original Latin diagnosis
Eriophorum culmis nudis triquetris, spica pappo breviore.
English translation
Eriophorum with stems naked [and] circular in cross-section; [and] with a spike than the pappus shorter.
| Eriophorum | Eriophorum |
| with stems | culmis - ablative plural of second declension masculine noun culmus, -i |
| naked | nudis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective nudus, -a, -um; modifies culmis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| circular in cross-section; | teretibus - ablative plural masculine of group B adjective teres, -es, -e; modifies culmis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with a spike | spica - ablative singular of first declension feminine noun spica, -ae |
| than the pappus | pappo - ablative singular of second declension masculine noun pappus, -i; object of breviore |
| shorter. | breviore - ablative singular feminine of comparative degree of group B adjective brevis, -is, -e; agrees with spica |