Taxonomic history
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Galium palustre in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 105 of Ray Society 1957 facsimile.
Today: The current name for this species is Galium palustre L.
original Latin diagnosis
Galium foliis quaternis obovatis inaequalibus, caulibus diffusis.
English translation
Galium with leaves in fours, [with leaf blades] obovate [and] [with leaves] unequal, [and] with stems widely spread.
| Galium | Galium |
| with leaves | foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, -i |
| in fours, | quaternis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective quaternus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [with leaf blades] obovate, | obovatis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective obovatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| [with leaves] unequal, | inaequalibus - ablative plural neuter of group B adjective inaequalis, -is, -e; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with stems | caulibus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun caulis, caulis |
| widely spread. | diffusis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective diffusus, -a, -um/i>; modifies caulibus |