A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

gravis,-e (adj.B); compar. gravior,-ius (adj.B), superl. gravissimus,-a,-um (adj.A)): heavy in weight, weighed down, ponderous, loaded; weighty, serious, grave, important (opp. levis,-e (adj.B), trivial); pregnant; (of disease) virulent, 'grave,' serious, unwholesome, sick, noxious; strong; (of a river) sluggish; (of smell) strong, rank (usually unpleasant); oppressive; obnoxious, severe, harsh, troublesome; painful; excessive; (of character) having weight, respected, venerable, authoritative, dignified, serious; grave, serious; (of food) indigestible, coarse;

(of smell) rank, strong; opp. suavis,-e (adj.B): sweet, q.v., delightful, pleasant;

- [Hyoscyamus niger] odor gravis (Desfont.), the odor is rank.

- odor florum gravis. Sapor totius plantae amarus (Swartz), the odor of the flowers noxious. The taste of the whole plant bitter.

- Odor Tovariae gravissimus (B&H), the most rank smell of Tovaria.

- [Tovaria] herba annua, odore gravissimo Apii (B&H), an annual plant, with the very rank odor of Apium.

- [Conium maculatum] tota planta contrita odorem gravissimum et soporiferum spirat (Desfont.), the whole plant when bruised [or crushed], emits a most powerful and soporific odor.

(of weight) heavy; opp. levis,-e (adj.B), light in weight:

- solum grave; terra gravis, a heavy [i.e. not light, as in sandy] soil.

Crataegus gravis, “heavily laden” (Fernald 1950), in reference to the fruit.

(importance) important; opp. levis,-e (adj.B), trivial, unimportant;

- notae gravissimae, the most important characteristics.

- differentia,-ae (s.f.I) gravis, and important distinction; differentia gravior, a more important distinction; differentiis gravissimis, by the most important distinctions.

- nota minus gravis esse mihi videtur, the character seems to me less important.

- [moss] nota gravissima tribum sistens folii areolatio est (C. Mueller), the most important distinguishing feature standing for the tribe is the areolation of the leaf.

- [moss] e foliorum dispositione notae tres gravissimae, caulis habitum prominentem efficientes, duci possunt: folia disticha, polysticha et tristicha (C. Muell.), three most important characteristics are able to be fashioned from the arrangement of the leaves, constituting the prominent [i.e. notable] habit [i.e. general appearance] of the stem: leaves distichous, polystichous and tristichous [i.e. in two-, many-, and three-rows].

- odor florum gravis (Swartz) the odor of the flowers strong.

(of character) great, respected, eminent, venerable, authoritative:

- [algae] utrum his adnumerandae sint Diatomeae, an potius ad regnum animale abeant, inter Auctores gravissimos nondum constat (Agardh), to whichsoever of the two these Diatomeae should be included, whether preferrably to be transferred into the animal kingdom, is not yet agreed upon among the most respected authors.