Latin description
Herbae perennae aquaticae parvae; folia petiolata, disticha, monomorpha, erecta, simplicia (haec rara, tantum in base caulium juvenium) vel composita, dichotome divisa, stipulata; stipula constata ex sextensione baseos folii cymbiformis, apice integro vel emarginato, indurato, in caulibus longioribus vetustioribusque persistenti. Flores 1-1aliquot per caulem, axillares, hermaphroditi, zygomorphi, brevipedicellati vel sessiles, spathella saccata obtecti; tepala 2, squamiformia; stamen 1; anthera basifixa, introrse longitudinaliterque dehiscens; pollinis grana in dyadibus, tricolpata; ovarium 2-carpellatum, 2-loculare, per anthesin intus spathella remanens, in gynophoro portatum, gynophoro per anthesin elonganti, plerumque tandem quam pedicello longiore; pedicellus brevissimus vel absens; stigmata 2, libera; fructus capsularis, 2-locularis, intus spathella rumpenti maturans, duabus valvis aequalibus, persistentibus, quoque 3-costata; semina ignota.
Translation
Herbs perennial, aquatic, small; leaves petiolate, distichous, monomorphic, erect, simple (these rare, only on the base of young stems) to compound, dichotomously divided, stipulate; the stipule composed of an extension of the base of the boat-shaped leaf, with the apex entire to emarginate, persisting on longer and older stems. Flowers 1-several per stem, axillary, bisexual, zygomorphic, short-pedicelled to sessile,covered by a saccate spathella; tepals 2, scale-like; stamen 1; anther basifixed, dehiscing introrsely and longitudinally; pollen grains in dyads, tricolpate; ovary 2-carpellate, 2-locular, remaining inside the spathella throughout anthesis, borne on a gynophore, the gynophore elongating throughout anthesis, usually finally longer than the pedicel; the pedicel very short or absent; stigmas 2, free; fruit capsule-like, 2-locular, ripening inside a splitting spathella, with two equal, persisting valves, each [valve] 3-costate; seeds unknown.
| Herbs | Herbae - nominative plural of first declension feminine noun herba, -ae |
| perennial, | perennes ["perennae" is an error] - nominative plural feminine of group B adjective perennis, -is, -e; modifies Herbae |
| aquatic | aquaticae - nominative plural feminine of group A adjective aquaticus, -a, -um; modifies Herbae |
| small; | parvae - nominative plural feminine of group A adjective parvus, -a, -um; modifies Herbae |
| leaves | folia - nominative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, -i |
| petiolate, | petiolata - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective petiolatus, -a, -um; modifies folia |
| distichous, | disticha - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective distichus, -a, -um; modifies folia |
| monomorphic, | monomorpha - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective monomorphus, -a, -um; modifies folia |
| erect, | erect - nominative plural neuter of perfect passive participle of third conjugation verb erigo, erigere, erexi, erectus; modifies folia |
| simple | simplicia - nominative plural neuter of group B adjective simplex, simplex, simplex; modifies folia |
| (these | haec - nominative plural neuter of demonstrative pronoun hic, haec, hoc; agrees with folia |
| rare, | rara - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective rarus, -a, -um; modifies haec |
| only | tantum - adverb |
| on | in - preposition [takes ablative] |
| the base | base - ablative singular of third declension feminine noun basis, basis; object of in |
| of young | juvenium - genitive plural masculine of group B adjective petiolatus, -a, -um; modifies caulium |
| stems) | caulium - genitive plural of third declension masculine noun caulis, caulis |
| to | vel - conjunction |
| compound, | composita - nominative plural neuter of perfect passive participle of third conjugation verb compono, componere, composui, compositus; modifies folia |
| dichotomously | dichotome - adverb |
| divided, | divisa - nominative plural neuter of perfect passive participle of third conjugation verb divido, dividere, divisi, divisus; modifies folia |
| stipulate; | stipulata - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective stipulatus, -a, -um; modifies folia |
| the stipule | stipula - nominative singular of first declension feminine noun stipula, -ae |
| composed of | constata ex - nominative singular feminine of perfect passive participle of first conjugation verb phrase consto ex, constare ex, constiti ex, constatus ex [takes ablative]; agrees with stipula |
| an extension | extensione - ablative singular of third declension feminine noun extensio, extensionis; object of (constata) ex |
| of the base | baseos - genitive singular of third declension feminine noun basis, baseos |
| of the boat-shaped | cymbiformis - genitive singular neuter of group B adjective cymbiformis, -is, -e; modifies folii |
| leaf, | folii - genitive singular of second declension masculine noun folius, -i |
| with the apex | apice - ablative singular of third declension masculine noun apex, apicis |
| entire | integro - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective integer, integra, integrum; modifies apice |
| to | vel - conjunction |
| emarginate, | emarginato - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective emarginatus, -a, -um; modifies apice |
| indurate, | indurato - ablative singular masculine of perfect passive participle of induro, -are, -avi, -atus; modifies apice |
| persisting | persistenti - ablative singular feminine of present active participle of persisto, -ere, -iti, -itus; modifies apice {why not persistente?} |
| on | in - preposition [takes ablative] |
| longer | longioribus - ablative plural masculine of comparative degree of group A adjective longus, -a, -um; modifies caulibus |
| and | -que at the end of vetustioribusque |
| older | vetustioribusque minus the terminal -que - ablative plural masculine of comparative degree of group B adjective vetus, vetus, vetus; modifies caulibus |
| stems. | caulibus - ablative plural of 3rd declension masculine noun caulis, caulis; object of in |
| Flowers | Flores - nominative plural of 3rd declension masculine noun flos, floris |
| 1-several | aliquot - indeclinable number [should have been preceded by an en dash, not a hyphen] |
| per | per - preposition [takes accusative] |
| stem, | caulem - accusative singular of 3rd declension masculine noun caulis, caulis; object of per |
| axillary, | axillares - nominative plural masculine of group B adjective axillaries, -is, -e; modifies Flores |
| bisexual, | hermaphroditi - nominative plural masculine of group A adjective hermaphroditus, -a, -um; modifies Flores |
| zygomorphic, | zygomorphi - nominative plural masculine of group A adjective zygomorphus, -a, -um; modifies Flores |
| short-pediceled | brevipedicellati - nominative plural masculine of group A adjective brevipedicellatus, -a, -um; modifies Flores |
| or | vel - conjunction |
| sessile, | sessiles - nominative plural masculine of group B adjective sessilis, -is, -e; modifies Flores |
| covered | obtecti - nominative plural masculine of perfect passive participle of 3rd conjugation verb obtego, -ere, -exi, -ectus; agrees Flores |
| by a saccate | saccata - ablative singular feminine of group A adjective saccatus, -a, -um; modifies spathella |
| spathella; | spathella - ablative singular of feminine first declension noun spathella, -ae |
| tepals 2, | tepala - nominative plural of second declension neuter noun tepalum, -i |
| scale-like; | squamiformia - nominative plural neuter of group B adjective squamiformis, -is, -e; modifies tepala |
| stamen 1; | stamen - nominative singular of third declension neuter noun stamen, staminis |
| anther | anthera - nominative singular of first declension feminine noun anthera, -ae |
| basifixed, | basifixa - nominative singular feminine of group A adjective basifixus, -a, -um |
| dehiscing | dehiscens - nominative singular feminine of present active participle of third conjugation verb dehisco, -ere, -ivi, ---; agrees with anthera |
| introrsely | introrse - adverb |
| and | -que of longitudinaliterque - conjunction |
| longitudinally; | longitudinaliterque minus the -que - adverb |
| pollen | pollinis - genitive singular of third declension neuter noun pollen, pollinis |
| grains | grana - nominative plural of second declension neuter noun granum, -i |
| in | in - preposition [takes ablative] |
| dyads, | dyadibus - ablative plural of third declension feminine noun dyas, dyadis |
| tricolpate; | tricolpata - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective tricolpatus, -a, -um |
| ovary | ovarium - nominative singular of second declension neuter noun ovarium, -i |
| 2-carpellate, | carpellatum - nominative singular neuter of group A adjective carpellatus, -a, -um; modifies ovarium |
| 2-locular, | loculare - nominative singular neuter of group B adjective locularis, -is, -e |
| remaining | remanens - nominative singular neuter of present active participle of second conjugation verb remaneo, remanere, remansi, remansus |
| inside | intus - preposition [takes ablative] |
| the spathella | spathella - ablative singular of first declension feminine noun spathella, -ae; object of intus |
| throughout | per - preposition [takes accusative] |
| anthesis, | anthesin - accusative singular of third declension feminine noun anthesis, anthesis; object of per |
| borne | portatum - nominative singular neuter of perfect passive participle of first conjugation verb porto, -are, -avi, -atus; agrees with ovarium |
| on | in - preposition [takes ablative] |
| a gynophore, | gynophoro - ablative singular of second declension neuter noun gynophorum, -i; object of in |
| the gynophore | gynophoro - ablative singular of second declension neuter noun gynophorum, -i; agrees with gynophoro [see immediately above] |
| elongating | elonganti - ablative singular neuter of present active participle of first conjugation verb elongo, -are, -avi, -atus; agrees with gynophoro |
| throughout | per - preposition [takes accusative] |
| anthesis, | anthesin - accusative singular of third declension feminine noun anthesis, anthesis; object of per |
| usually | plerumque - singular neuter; used adverbally; agrees with gender of gynophoro |
| finally | tandem - adverb |
| longer | longiore - ablative singular neuter of comparative degree of group A adjective longus, -a, -um; agrees with gynophoro |
| than | quam - adverb |
| the pedicel; | pedicello - ablative singular of second declension masculine noun pedicellus, -i; agrees with gynophoro |
| the pedicel | pedicellus - nominative singular of second declension masculine noun pedicellus, -i |
| very short | brevissimus - nominative singular masculine of superlative degree of group B adjective brevis, -is, -e; modifies pedicellus |
| or | vel - conjunction |
| absent; | absens - nominative singular masculine of group B adjective absens, absens, absens; modifies pedicellus |
| stigmas 2, | stigmata - nominative plural of second declension neuter noun stigma, stigmatis |
| free; | libera - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective liber, libera, liberum; modifies stigmata [perhaps should be distincta (distinct), indicating a separation of like parts] |
| fruit | fructus - nominative singular of fourth declension masculine noun fructus, fructus |
| capsule-like, | capsularis - nominative singular masculine of group B adjective capsularis, -is, -e; modifies fructus |
| 2-locular, | locularis - nominative singular masculine of group B adjective locularis, -is, -e; modifies fructus |
| ripening | maturans - nominative singular masculine of present active participle of first conjugation verb maturo, -are, -avi, -atus; agrees with fructus |
| inside | intus - preposition [takes ablative] |
| a splitting | rumpenti - ablative singular feminine of present active participle of third conjugation verb rumpo, rumpere, rupi, ruptus; modifies spathella |
| spathella, | spathella - ablative singular of first declension feminine noun spathella, -ae; object of intus |
| with two | duabus - ablative plural feminine of irregular adjective duo, duae, duo; modifies valvis |
| equal, | aequalibus - ablative plural feminine of group B adjective aequalis, -is, -e; modifies valvis |
| persisting | persistentibus - ablative plural feminine of present active participle of third conjugation verb persisto, -ere, -iti, -itus; modifies valvis |
| valves, | valvis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun valva, -ae |
| each [valve] | quoque - ablative singular feminine of quisque, quaeque, quodque; agrees in case and gender with valvis |
| 3-costate; | costata - ablative singular feminine of group A adjective costatus, -a, -um; modifies quoque |
| seeds | semina - nominative plural of third conjugation neuter noun semen, seminis |
| unknown. | ignota - nominative plural neuter of group A adjective ignotus, -a, -um; modifies semina |
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