A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

-ensis,-e (adj.B): (in L. comp.) adjectival suffix indicating origin or place; e.g. hortensis, of or from the gardens; kewensis, of or from Kew; “forms adjs. mainly from words denoting places; also nouns from place names, where it is often augmented by –i-: -iensis,-e (adj.B) (after Glare); “indicates country or place of growth or origin or else habitat; noun base; e.g. bononensis, relating to Bononia (now Bologna), pratensis, growing in meadows (from ‘pratum’ meadow” (Stearn); cf. -cola,-ae (s.c.I), ‘dweller, inhabitant;’

NOTE: the ending may be applied to habitats (arvum, hortus, pratum), places (kewensis, relating to Kew), cities (buffalonensis, Buffalo, New York), states (noveboracensis, Novum Boracum, New York State, USA), provinces (ontarionis, Ontario, Canada), countries (canadensis, Canada), vegetational zones (fynbosensis, the Fynbos, South Africa).

A. from common names (habitat):

arvum,-i (s.n.II), ploughed field; adj. arvensis; of or from the fields.

castra,-orum (pl.n.II), (military) camps; adj. castrensis

Abbas castrensis, Catholic chaplain of the army; Comes castrensis, Count of the army.

hortus,-i (s.m.II), garden; adj. hortensis.

pratum,-i (s.n.II), meadow; adj. pratensis.

B. Place names ending in –ia, adj. –iensis,-e;

Acadia,-ae (s.f.I), Nova Scotia, Canada; adj. acadiensis, of or from Acadia.

Australia,-ae (s.f.I): Australia; adj. australiensis.

Beringia,-ae (s.f.I): adj. beringiense

Brasilia,-ae (s.f.I): Brazil; adj. brasiliensis.

Cantabrigia,-ae (s.f.I): Cambridge, England; adj. cantabrigiensis

C. Place names not ending in –a, adj. –ensis,-e;

Alaska,-ae (s.f.I), a state in USA; adj. alaskense, of or from Alaska.

Amstelodamum,-i (s.n.II): Amsterda, Netherlands; adj. amstelodamensis.

Berolinum,-i (s.n.II): Berlin, Germany; adj. berolinensis.

Eboracum,-i (s.n.II): York, northern England; adj. eboracensis.

Lena,-ae (s.f.I), the Lena River, Russian Far East, Siberia); adj. lenensis.

         singular          plural             singular          plural
            m/f   n       m/f     n            m/f   n       m/f     n
   Nom.  -ensis -ense   -enses -ensia  Kewensis Kewense  Kewenses Kewensia 
   Gen.    -ensis         -ensium           Kewensis       Kewensium
   Dat.    -ensi          -ensibus          Kewensi        Kewensibus
   Acc.  -ensem -ense   -enses -ensia  Kewensem Kewense  Kewenses Kewensia
   Abl.    -ensi          -ensibus          Kewensi        Kewensibus

NOTE: nouns ending in -o (Ohio, Buffalo) often insert an 'n' before -ensis: Buffalonensis (Buffalo), Ohionensis (Ohio), as the noun is considered to be a third declension noun whose stem ends in -n, as in mucro,-onis or Senecio,-onis.

- bryophyta noveboracensia, New York (state) bryophytes.

- Rosae canadensi similis, similar to Rosa canadensis.

- a Rosa canadensi differt, from Rosa canadensis it differs.

- ad saxa in scaturiginibus collium editorum Chilensium (C. Mueller), on stones in the gushing waters of the higher hills [i.e. uplands] of Chile [chilensis,-e (adj.B), gen.pl. chilensium].

- Valdensis Pagus, the canton of Vaud in western Switzerland; the Valesiensis Ager, the Valesian region, Valois Region in northeastern France.

- Ptilium crista-castrense (Latin adj. from crista,-ae, crest and castrum, military camp + -ensis,-e (adj.B), relating to a military camp, suggesting soldiers; i.e. soldier’s or knight’s plume, from the feathery fronds.