Botanical Latin Translations

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 (updated 4 November 2025)


Monotropa hypopithys L.

Taxonomic history:
    1753: Linnaeus described this species as Monotropa hypopithys in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 387 of Ray Society 1957 facsimile.
   today: The current name for this species is Monotropa hypopitys L.


original Latin diagnosis
Monotropa floribus lateralibus octandris; terminali decandro.

English translation
Monotropa with flowers lateral [and] eight-stamened; [and] with the terminal flower 10-stamened.


English translation with commentary
Monotropa Monotropa
with flowers floribus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun flos, floris
lateral lateralibus - ablative plural masculine of group B adjective lateralis, -is, -e; modifies floribus
[and] [added for smoother reading]
eight-stamened; octandris - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective octandrus, -a, -um; modifies floribus
the terminal [flower] terminali - ablative singular masculine of group B adjective terminalis, -is, -e; here referring to a single flower (flore)
10-stamened; decandro - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective decandrus, -a, -um; here modifying a single flower (flore)



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