A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

caeruleus,-a,-um (adj.A), also coeruleus,-a,-um (adj.A), also caerulus,-a,-um (adj.A) (Lewis & Short): caeruleous (Eng.adj.), the color of the sky, “sky-blue” (Jackson); blue, esp. the deep blue of the Mediterranean sky at midday; “blue; a pale indigo color” (Lindley); caeruleos Neptuni, the caerulean (eyes?) of Neptune; related to caelum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. caelo: the sky, the heavens; also used of the sea, (of the sea, of rivers) blue or greenish-blue [> L. caeruleus,-a,-um; ‘equally common, caerulus,-a,-um (adj.A); dark-colored, dark blue, dark green, cerulean, azure; of the sky: caeli caerula templa; ‘used of the sea; also “dark, gloomy, dun, sable, black (used of death, the night, rain, etc.; dark green, green, greenish” (Lewis & Short); specifically for serpents, glossy greenish-blue (Glare); cf. caelum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. caelo, also coelum,-i (s.n.II), q.v.: the sky, the heavens.]

NOTE: colored blue; specifically colored with woad (Glare); see woad.

caeruleus,-a,-um (adj.A): (medieval) blue; dark (green, black, etc.).

Caerula,-orum (pl.n.II), abl.pl. caerulis: the sea, the blue surface of the sea (Lewis & Short); “the blue expanse (of the sky)” (Glare).

caeruleo-griseus,-a,-um (adj.A): ‘sky grey.’

Caeruleum,-i (s.n.II), abl.sg. caeruleo: ceruleum; a blue color, steel-color; “cerulean blue 2” (WIII); see ceruleum (Eng.noun).

Caeruleum,-i (s.n.II) Indicum, abl.sg. caeruleo indico: a blue pigment from India, indigo (Glare).

- limbus corollae in aestivatione ruber, sub anthesi violaceus et priusquam corolla decidit caeruleus, limb of corolla in bud red, at anthesis violet and before the corolla falls blue.

- in capitulis ligulatis flavae caeruleae v. rarius purpureae v. coccineae, in ligulate capitula yellow, blue or more rarely purple or crimson.

- peridii cortex interior coeruleo-violascens, micore nonnumquam praepulchro colli columbini insignis (S&A), the iner cortex of the peridium bluish-violet, sometimes remarkable for the very beautiful glossiness of the neck of a dove [or blue pigeon].

- [moss] Var. [beta] planta Schwagricheniana in montibus caeruleis insulae Javae (C. Muell.), the [variety] Schwagricheniana plant, on the Blue Mountain of the island of Java. - [moss; note change of spelling to coeruleus] in sylvis alpinis Javae insulae ad montem coeruleum (C. Muell.), in the alpine forests of the Island of Java at the Blue Mountain.

Acacia subcaerulea; Acinodendron caeruleum; Aconitum caeruleum; Acrocephalu caeruleus; Adenodolichos caeruleus; Adenosma caeruleum; Adonis caerulea; Aechmea caerulea; Allium caeruleum.

Abies coerulea; Acacallis coerulea; Aconitum coeruleum; Acrocephalus coeruleus; Adonis coerulea; Afrosolen coeruleus; Ageratum coeruleum, etc.

NOTE: DeCandolle used both spellings in the same text.

Alpina glacicaerulea (Zingiberaceae), ice-blue.

NOTE: ceruleus,-a,-um (adj.A) does not appear in the handful of early Latin botanical texts used as references here. However, there are numerous current botanical epithets with this spelling:

Agave cerulata; Crinum ceruleum; Nemexia cerulea; Oncostema cerulea; Ornithogalum ceruleum; Sagittaria cerulea; Sambucus cerulea Scilla cerulea; Vitis ursina var. cerulea, etc.

NOTE: upon searching the Tropicos database of epithers, there are 893 beginning with ‘caerul;’ 620 begin with ‘coerul;’ and 32 entries for ‘cerul.’