Botanical Latin Translations

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(updated 24 January 2026)





Phalaris arundinacea L.

Taxonomic history:
   1753: Linnaeus described this species as Phalaris arundinacea in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 55.
   today: The current name for this species is Phalaris arundinacea L.


original Latin diagnosis
Phalaris panicula oblonga ventricosa.

English translation
Phalaris with a panicle oblong [and] swollen.



English translation with commentary
Phalaris Phalaris
with a panicle panicula - ablative singular of first declension feminine noun panicula, -ae
oblong oblonga - ablative singular feminine of group A adjective oblongus, -a, -um; modifies panicula
[and] [added for smoother reading]
swollen. ventricosa - ablative singular feminine of group A adjective ventricosus, -a, -um; modifies panicula


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