Taxonomic history
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Galium uliginosum in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 106 of Ray Society 1957 facsimile.
Today: The current name for this species is Galium uliginosum L.
original Latin diagnosis
Galium foliis senis lanceolatis retrorsum serrato-aculeatis mucronatis rigidis, corollis fructu majoribus.
English translation
Galium with leaves in sixes, [the blades] lanceolate, backwards serrate-aculeate, mucronate, [and] stiff; [and] with corollas than the fruit larger.
| Galium | Galium |
| with leaves | foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, -i |
| in sixes, | senis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective seni, senae, sena; modifies foliis |
| [the blades] lanceolate, | lanceolatis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective lanceolatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| backwards | retrorsum - adverb |
| serrate-aculeate, | serrato-aculeatis = serrato- (combining form of group A adjective serratus, -a, -um) + aculeatis (ablative plural neuter of group A adjective aculeatus, -a, -um) |
| mucronate, | mucronatis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective mucronatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| stiff; | rigidis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective rigidus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with corollas | corollis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun corolla, -ae |
| than a fruit | fructu - ablative singular of fourth declension masculine noun fructus, fructus |
| larger. | majoribus - ablative plural masculine of comparative degree of group A adjective magnus, -a, -um; agrees with corollis |