A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

capitatus,-a,-um (adj. A): capitate, “pin-headed, as the stigma of a Primrose, or certain hairs. Also growing in heads, or terminal close clusters, as the flowers of Composits, &c.” (Lindley); ‘having or forming a head;’ “shaped like a head; collected into a head or dense cluster” (Fernald 1950); capitate, with a knob-like or globose head or tip; rounded and compact at the apex, with branches forming a headlike cluster, as in the capitulum of Sphagnum; in palms, as in the inflorescence of Nypa; growing in a dense head - referring to the flowers, the fruit, or the whole plant (Stearn 1996); (in fungi) “(of cystidia, spores, etc.) having a minute knob at the tapering apex” (S&D) [> L. caput,-itis (s.n.III), the head]; often used interchangeably with glomeratus,-a,-um (part.A), q.v., which may mean more ‘clustered’ than ‘formed into a head, although Bentham and Hooker distinguish them [in some way] - perhaps glomeratus,-a,-um (part.A), may mean more ‘clustered’ than ‘formed into a head;’

- flores minuti, in capitula parva secus rachidem simplicem in racemulos breves congesta glomerati (B&H), flowers tiny, clustered, congested into small headlets along the unbranched (simple) rachis into short racemules .

- flores terminales, capitati v. glomerati (B&H), flowers terminal, capitate or glomerate [= perhaps in a looser cluster].

- tricapitatus, with three heads.

- floribus capitatis terminalibus in caule et ramis, capitulis globosis (Swartz), with the flowers capitate, terminal on the stem and branches, with the capitula globose.

- spicae prima aetate capitatae, dein unciae longitudine (Swartz), the spikes at the beginning of their lives capitate, ultimately 2.5 cm in length.

- stigma sphaerico - capitatum(Swartz), the stigma spherical-capitate.

- siliqua teretiuscula stigmate parvo subcapitato(DeCandolle), silicle somewhat round, with the stigma somewhat subcapitate.

- Brassica capitata, caule abbreviato, foliis concavis non bullatis in capitulum ante florescentiam congestis (DeCandolle), with the stem shortened, with the leaves concave, not bullate, before flowering congested into a capitulum.

- fruticuli Ericoidei graciles saepius erecti, pilis saepe glanduloso-capitatis instructi (DeCandolle), ericoid small shrubs, slender, more often erect, provided with hairs often glandulose-headed.

- floribus subsessilibus capitato-fasciculalis, capitato-hemisphaericis, (DeCandolle), with the flowers nearly sessile, capitate-clustered, capitate-hemispherical. acephalus,-a,-um (adj.A): headless, lacking a head or heads.

anserinocapitatus,-a,-um (adj.A): shaped like a goose’s head;

Didymodon anserinocapitatus: “goose-headed” referring to the leaf tips shaped like the head of geese.

NOTE: Fernald (1950) defined agglomerate as “heaped or crowded into a dense cluster, but not cohering.” Perhaps ‘capitulate’ is a cluster of coherent or adherent organs, such as flowers.