Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Daphne mezereum in Species Plantarum, 1st edition, p. 356.
today: The current name for this species is Daphne mezereum L.
original Latin diagnosis
Daphne floribus sessilibus ternis caulinis, foliis lanceolatis deciduis.
English translation
Daphne with flowers sessile, in threes, [and] cauline; [and] with leaf blades lanceolate [and] [with leaves] deciduous.
English translation with commentary
| Daphne | Daphne |
| with flowers | floribus - ablative plural of third declension masculine noun flos, floris |
| sessile, | sessilibus - ablative plural masculine of group B adjective sessilis, -is, -e; modifies floribus |
| in threes, | ternis - ablative plural masculine of group A (numerical distributive) adjective terni, ternae, terna; modifies floribus |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| cauline; | caulinis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective caulinus, -a, -um; modifies floribus |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with leaf blades | foliis - ablative plural of second declension noun folium, folii |
| lanceolate | lanceolatis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective lanceolatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| [with leaves] deciduous. | deciduis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective deciduus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |