A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Ligula (Eng.noun), “a strap. The radiant florets of certain Composites; the membrane which occurs at the base of the lamina of a Grass-leaf; (obsol.) also certain appendages found on the coronet [i.e. corona,-ae (s.f.I), q.v.] of some Asclepiads, alternating with the horns and spreading over the corolla” (Lindley); “the flattened spreading limb of the marginal or ray-flowers of Compsitae; a projection from the summit of the sheath in Grasses, etc.” (Fernald 1950);

Ligule (Eng.noun) “1. A strap-shaped body, such as the limb of the ray florets in Compositae; 2. A lobe of the outer corona in Stapelia (N.E.Brown); 3. The thin, scarious projection from the top of the leaf-sheath in grasses; 4. A narrow membranous acuminate structure, internal to the leaf-base in Isoetes and Selaginella; 5. An appendage to certain petals, as those of Silene and Cuscuta (A. Gray); 6. The ovuliferous scale in Araucaria, united with the bract, and resembling the ligule in Isoetes (Potter); 7. The envelope which protects the young leaf in palms, as Chamaerops and Rhaphis” (Jackson):

ligula,-ae (s.f.I), lit. 'a little tongue', abl.sg. ligula, nom. pl. ligulae, acc. pl. ligulas, dat. & abl. pl. ligulis [> L. ligula,-ae (s.f.I), also lingula,-ae (s.f.I): a little tongue; a tongue of land; the tongue of a shoe, a shoe-strap (Lewis & Short)];

- oppida posita in extremis lingulis promontoriisque; towns situated on extreme [i.e. outermost] tongues and promontories.

- [White Glasswort; Blitum) erectam & fruticescentem observavi copiosissimam in Lingula illa seu crepidine petrosa, quae a ‘Portlandia’ Insula versus littus Anglicum porrigitur (Ray), I have observed it erect and setting out shoots [becoming bushy] in great abundance in that Lingula [the tongue] or rocky bank, which extends from the Island ‘Portlandia’ [Portland] towards the English shore.

NOTE: Lingula,-ae (s.f.I), little tongue; a long narrow strip of land projecting into a body of water (Merriam-Webster).

- [Capparis] sépala 4, libera v. ima basi connata, intus nuda glandulosa v. ligula aucta (B&H), sepals 4, free or at the lowest base fused, naked inside glandulose or enlarged with a ligula.

- ligula linea brevior truncata ciliata, ligule than a line (1/12inch) shorter, truncate ciliate.

- [Herrania] petala 5, basi cucullato-concava, apice inflexa, in ligulam linearem ante anthesin circinato-involutam longissime producta (B&H), petals 5, at the base cucullate-concave, inflexed at the apex, before anthesis very longly extended into a linear strap, circinate-involute.

- ligulae ad marginem ciliolatum redactae, ligules to a ciliolate margin reduced.

- (Asclepiadeae) Coronae squamae breves, latae, emarginatae, dorso ligula crassa erecta instructae (B&H), the scales of the corona short, broad, emarginate, on the back provided with a thick, erect ligule [i.e. strap].

- (Asclepiadaceae)coronae squamae planae, leviter concavae v. convexae, intus basi medio v. sub apice squamella v. ligula auctae v. 2-carinatae (B&H), the scales of the corona flat, lightly concave or convex, inside at the base in the middle or under the apex enlarged with a squamella or ligule or 2-keeled.

- ligulae anguste oblongae truncatae scariosae, ligules narrowly oblong truncate scarious.

- corollae radii ligulatae, ligula brevi obovata, corollas of the radius (i.e.ray-florets) ligulate, with ligula short obovate [Stearn 1983]

- coronae squamae a latere compressae concavae v. cucullata, introrsum squamella v. ligula auctae (B&H), the scales of the corona compressed from the side, concave or cucullate, increased on the inside by a small scale [squamella] or a ligule.

- vaginae ad extremitates laterales ligularum nec lígulae ipsae barbato-ciliatae (F. Mueller), the sheaths on the lateral extremities of the ligules, not the ligules themselves, bearded-ciliate.

- petala in ligulam spathulatam producta (DeCandolle), the petals prolonged into a spathulate ligule.

- (Cyper.) ligula rarissime ad apicem vaginae laminae opposita (B&H), the ligule very rarely at the apex of the sheath opposite the lamina.

- (Cyper.) vaginae introrsum in longitudinem fissae ore saepius ligula brevi scariosa v. membranacea v. annulo setarum coronato (B&H), the sheathe toward the inside divided in length more often with the mouth crowned with a short, papery or membranaceous ligule or a ring of bristles.

- petala basi saepissime concavo-fornicata apice in ligulam expansa (DeCandolle), the petals at the base very often concave-arched, expanded at the apex into a ligule.

Collar, q.v.: “the ligule, or transverse membrane that stands in grasses at the junction of the blade and sheath of the leaf” (Lindley); collare,-is (s.n.III), acc. sg. collare, abl.sg. collari.

NOTE: "ligule, "a variable structure (scarious, membranaceous or cartilaginous, prolonged or truncated, a simple blade or dissected into fringes or bristles, etc." (Fernald 1950).

Ligularia L., from ligula, a strap; “from the strap-like ray florets. Compositae (Stearn 1996).