A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

inferior (m.f.), inferius (n.) (compar. adj. of inferus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v., ‘that which is lower, below, beneath, underneath’); (in space) lower; (in quality), (in rank) inferior; (in number) lower; cf. infernus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v., lower, that which is beneath, underneath or below;

           singular                   plural
        m.f.        n.            m.f.       n.
Nom. inferior    inferius     inferiores  inferiora
Gen.     inferioris              inferiorum
Dat.     inferiori               inferioribus
Acc. inferiorem  inferius     inferiores  inferiora
Abl.     inferiore               inferioribus

inferior (English adj.): lower, lesser, below, “growing below some other organ; an inferior calyx grows below the ovary; an inferior ovary grows, or seems to grow, below a calyx” (Lindley); “lower or below; outer or anterior” (Fernald 1950).

Inferior ovary: “one that is adnate to the calyx” (Fernald 1950); “an inferior calyx grows below the ovary; an inferior ovary grows, or seems to grow, below a calyx” (Lindley); “1) below some other organ, as an Inferior calyx is below the ovary, or an Inferior Ovary seems to grow below the adnate calyx; 2) has been used for anterior, or turned away from the axis” (Jackson).

- ovarium inferum vel semisuperum vel superum, ovary inferior [inferus] or half-superior or superior (in relation to insertion of sepals, petals and stamens) (Stearn).

NOTE: [germen,-inis (s.n.III), abl. sg. germine: “the ovary” (Lindley); “1. Linnaeus’s term for the ovary” (Jackson);

- germen inferum, oblongum (Swartz), the ovary inferior, oblong.

- germen subrotundum, inferum (Swartz), the ovary nearly rounded, inferior.

- ad terram Carolinae Superioris Inferiorisque, on the soil of upper (North) and lower (South) Carolina [USA].

- ad rupes graniticas Carolinae Inferioris Superiorisque, on granite rocks of lower (i.e. South) and upper (i.e. North) Carolina [USA].

- labium inferius, labium superius (neuter sg.) the lower lip, the upper lip.

- labio inferiore superius conspicue excedente (F.Mueller), with the lower lip conspicuously exceeding the upper.

- ovarium,-ii (s.n.II) inferius, abl.sg. ovario inferiore.

- sepalum superius 7-7.5 mm longum, sepalum inferius 7 mm longum, upper sepal 7-7.5 mm long, lower sepal 7 mm long.

- annulus praesens vel nullus, singulari vel duplici, annulus present or none, superiore vel inferiore, with the annulus double or single, superior or inferior.

- herbae fruticesve, foliis saltem inferioribus oppositis rarius alternis (B&H), herbs or shrubs, with the leaves, at least the lower opposite, more rarely alternate.

- folia radicalia et inferiora maxima (B&H), the basal and lower leaves the largest.

- petala apice cucullata, sub galea recondita, 3 inferiora minima v. obsoleta (B&H), petals cucullate at the apex, hidden under the galea [i.e. hood-shaped upper lip], the lower three the smallest or nearly absent.

- superiores cujusve racemi iis C. clavicúlatae nisi longe cornuto-acuminatae nec breviter acutae accedunt, inferiores tamen indehiscentes monospermae fere Sarcocapni (B&H), [or] the upper racemes of this approaches to those of C. claviculata except they are long horned-acuminate, not shortly acute, yet the lower indehiscent, one-seeded almost [approach] [species] of Sarcocapnos.

- nec differt nisi petalo inferiore basi gibbo (a superiore basi plano semper diversum vidimus) nec calcarato (B&H), nor does it differ except by the lower petal gibbous [i.e. hunch-backed] at the base (it always seems to us different from the upper by the flat base) nor it is calcarate [i.e. spurred].

- foliis planis vel subcanaliculatis, inferioribus angusto-oblongis, superioribus linearibus (F.Mueller), with the leaves flat or somewhat canaliculate, the lower narrowly oblong, the upper linear.

- valvula inferior carinata, margine integra, carina (lente) serrata, basi suiperioreni includens (Swartz), the lower valvule carinate, entire on the margin, with the keel (lightly) serrate, at the base enclosoing the upper one [i.e. valvule].

NOTE: abbr. ‘inf.’ or ‘infer.’: opp. ‘sup.’ or ‘super.’ = superior;

- corolla, 5-fida: lacinüs subaequalibus ; sup. 3 ovatis, patulis; infer. 2 conniventibus, subdeflexis (Swartz), the corolla 5-fid: with the lacinia almost equal; the upper 3 ovate, spreading; the lower 2 connivent, somewhat deflexed.

NOTE: an inferior ovary is one that is adnate to the calyx; a superior ovary is an ovary “with the perianth inserted below it on the torus” (Fernald 1950). The torus is the receptacle of a flower; “or of the flowers of a head in the Compositae” (Fernald 1950). Bentham and Hooker use the adjectives ‘superus’ and ‘inferus’ (above and below) for the superior and inferior ovary respectively; see superus,-a,-um (adj.A) and inferus,-a,-um (adj.A);

- ovarium inferum vel semisuperum vel superum, ovary inferior or half-superior or superior (in relation to insertion of sepals, petals and stamens) (Stearn).

- labio supero 8 mm longo, labio infero 10-14 mm longo, with the upper lip 8 mm long, the lower lip 10-14 mm long.