A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

gracilis,-e (adj.B), comparative gracilior,-ius (adj.B); superlative: gracillimus,-a,-um (adj.A): “a long narrow object” (Lindley); “slender” (Jackson); “graceful” (Bailey; Stearn 1996) [> L. gracilis,-e (adj.B) thin, slight, slender, slim, having little thickness; (of soil) thin, light; weak, meager, lean (pysically opp. to fat or rich, meagre, scanty, poor); (of style) simple, plain, unadorned (Lewis & Short); syn. exilis, q.v., tenuis, q.v., macer; opp. pinguis,-e (adj.B), rich, thick, fat; opp. robustus,-a,-um (adj.A); opp. validus,-a,-um (adj.A), strong, stout, robust-growing;

- [lichens] paraphyses graciles sat parcae apice summo leviter incrassatae (Nyl.), the paraphyses slender, quite meager, lightly thickened at the uppermost tip.

- [Rhaphidophora in the Aroideae] frutices graciles v. robusti, scandentes, raphidibus instructi (B&H), slender or robust shrubs, climbing, provided with raphides.

- frútices scandentes, ramis gracilibus, shrubs climbing, with slender branches.

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

- caudice gracili v. robusto, with a trunk slender or robust.

- caulis sterilis erectus gracillimis subbifarie foliosus (Mueller), stem sterile, erect, very slender, foliose in nearly two rows.

- [Palmae] caudex gracilis v. robustus, elatus mediocris v. humilis (B&H), the caudex slender or robust, tall, medium-sized or low.

- [musci] foliis apice plerumque valde subulatis fere piliferis; humidioribus gracilius, saepe quam maxime elongatum filiforme laxissime foliosum valde plumosum ramis valde remotis (C. Muell.), with leaves in the apex usually strongly subulate, almost piliferous; more delicate when damp, often exceedingly elongate, filiform, very loosely leafy, very plumose with the branches very distant.

- [Sphagnum molluscum Bruch; moss] laxe cespitosum elatum gracillimum molluscum, amoene flavidum,ramis remotis tenuibus parce geminatis laxe foliosis subdeflexis flaccidis curviusculis (C. Mueller), loosely caesitose [i.e. matted, bedded] elevated, very slender, soft, pleasantly yellowish, with the branches remote [i.e. distant], thin, moderately paired, sparsely leaved, slightly deflexed, flaccid, somewhat curved.

- [moss] formis pygmaeis gracillimis Gr. protensae similis (C. Mueller), with pygmy forms, very slender, similar to Grimmia protensa.

subgracilis,-e: somewhat slender or slim;

- [musci] ramis remotis mollibus subgracilibus attenuatis deflexis (C. Mueller.), with the branches remote [i.e. distant] soft, somewhat slender, attenuate, deflexed.

Rhizomnium gracile, from the Latin adj. gracilis, slight, slender, in reference to the smallness of the plants (only 1-3 cm high) on slender stems, their leaves the smallest in the genus to 3 mm, as represented in the Aleutians, their pale greenish color enhancing their delicate appearance.