A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

herp-, herpo-: in Gk. comp. ‘creeping’ [> Gk. “(h)erpO, I creep” (Jackson)]; see herpet-, herpeto-;

NOTE: compounds in ‘herp-, or herpet-‘may indicate (1) the disease Herpes, q.v., (2) flexuose, serpentine (Herpetineuron, in reference to the costa) or (3) creeping (as a root, vine, branch, etc.).

Herpism, “creeping by means of variously shaped pseudopodia, as in Flagellata” (Jackson): herpismus,-i (s.m.II), abl.sg. herpismo [> Gk. (h)erpO, I creep].

Herpoblast: “Cramer’s term for a confervoid prothallium lying flat on its substratum” (Jackson): herpoblastus,-i (s.m.II), abl.sg herpoblasto.

Herpocladium; Herpodium; Herpolirion; Herpothamnus

herpes,-etos a creeping thing, also herpeton (s.n.II); herpestes m., a creeping animal, snake, reptile; herpestikos, creeping Herpetomonas muscae (a protozoan), Herpestes nyula (a mongoose), Herpobdella punctata (a leech), Herpele squalostoma (a caecilian), Caulerpa crassifolia (a seaweed) (Brown).

Herpestis, Gaertner. From herpestes, anything that creeps; alluding to the habit of the plants. Scrophulariaceae (Paxton).

Pleruothallis herpestes (Orchidaceae); Specklinia herpestes (Orchidaceae); Verapazia herpestes (Orchidaceae)