A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

-ascens,-entis (adj. or part.B): Eng. verb suffix –ascent; “as a termination signifies having a tendency to a thing; as cinerascens, having a tendency to become ash-colored” (Lindley); present active participial ending “indicates process of becoming, hence a not fully achieved or attained resemblance, often expressed in English by the termination ‘-ish’; verb base, usually itself with a noun or adjectival base; e.g. nascens,-entis, beginning, arising, nascent, from nascor, natus, nasci, “to be born, to be begotten;” thus purpurascens = purplish (after Lindley) and e.g. purpurascens, becoming purple, purplish (from purpureus, purple)” (Stearn); appearing to derive from verb conjugation 1.

[> L. –ascens,-ascentis (part.B) “present active participle of inchoative verbs ending in –ascere (conjugation 1), “ –sc-, element forming inchoative verbs + -ant, present participle suffix of conjugation 1.: beginning, beginning to be, becoming, slightly (after WIII); see ‘-escens,-entis;’

Inchoative (Eng. adj.): denoting an aspect of a verb expressing the beginning of an action or process.

An ending appearing to derive from verb conjugation 1.

NOTE: Lindley writes of cinerascens “having a tendency to become ash-colored.”

NOTE: classically cineresco, inf. cinerescere: to turn into ashes from cinis,-eris (s.m.III): ashes (Lewis & Short); in Medieval Latin (Britain) cinerare, to reduce to ashes, sprinkle with ashes (Latham).

fuscascens,-entis (part.B): becoming dark, swarthy, dusky, blackening, darkening [> fusco,-avi,-atum 1. To make dark; to become dark or swarthy; classical verbs]

purpurasco,-ere, to grow purple, become of a purple color (as the waves of the sea); from purpuro,-avi,-atum 1. To purple, empurple, to dye with purple; classical verbs].

flavascens,-entis (adj.B), yellowish: Avena orientalis var. flavascens; appears to derive from flavesco, ere 3 to become golden yellow > flaveo,-ere 2. to be golden yellow > flavus,-a,-um (adj.A): golden yellow)

NOTE: frequently epithets referring to a color are invented using –ascens with a noun (such as an olive, a violet) in the first declension, much as –atus,-a,-um (adj.A), ordinarily the perfect passive participle of verbs, is used to mean ‘provided with.’

Acacia cinerascens; Acaena sericascens [> sericatus,-a,-um (adj.A), “made form silk cloth;” clothed in Seric stuffs, dressed in silks (Lewis & Short).

Acantholimon cupreo-olivascens, a coppery olive-color, from oliva,-ae (s.f.I), an olive Caryomene olivascens; Acalypha purpurascens;

Adenostylis violascens [no verb, violaceus,-a,-um (adj.A) from viola,-ae (s.f.I), the violet, the stock-gilliflower; also a violet color, violet.

Ancuba chlorascens, Bulbophyllum chlorascens [no verb; no Latin adj. or noun: chlOris in Gk. = greenness)= greenish, becoming green.

Barbula ferruginascens, Didymodon ferruginascens no L. verb but in Latin feruginans,-antis (adj.B), that tastes of iron (Lewis & Short) > ferrugo,-inis (s.f.III), iron-rust, its color; a dark red.

Bartramia gemmascens, Desmatodon gemmascens [gemmasco, ere 3., to begin to bud, from gemmo 1. To put forth buds, from gemma,-ae, a bud; gemmesco ere 3. to become a gem (bud)].

Brachythecium sulphurascens; [no verb sulfur (sulphur and sulpur,-uris (s.n.III) brimstone, sulphur; sulfurans,-antis (adj.B)) containing sulphur, sulphurous; sulfuratus,-a,-um (adj.A), containing suphur: a yellow color.

Cattleya porphyrascens [no verb; porphyritis,-idis (adj.B) = porphyrItis, purple-colored.

Ceratocephala furfurascens, Dissochaeta furfurascens: [no verb; furfuraceus,-a,-um (adj.A) like bran; furfureus,-a,-um (adj.A), of bran, made of bran; furfur,-uris (s.m.III), bran.