A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

laevis,-e (adj.B): smooth, smoothed, not rough; smooth, without hair, beardless; rubbed smooth (as metal, such as silver), ground down, softened, soft; = glaber, glabra, glabrum (adj.A), “glabrous, smooth, especially not pubescent nor hairy”); = Gk. leios, smooth, smoothed, not rough (leiocarpa = with a smooth fruit); see lei-, leio-, in Gk. comp.; opp. asper,-era,-erum (adj.A), q.v., rough, harsh, uneven, often used of plants with spines or prickles; cf. politus,-a,-um (part.A), polished, shining, smooth and polished; see levis,-e (adj.B); see smooth.

NOTE: in classical Latin, the spelling ‘laevis,-e’ was considered an error (erroneous), and levis,-e, the correct form (Lewis & Short); but “from the time of Linnaeus downward this [levis,-e (adj.B)] has been spelled botanically as ‘laevis’”(Jackson). Some botanists, however, have continued to use ‘levis’ for ‘smooth,’ and so caution must be used in translation.

- levis [laevis] Juventas, the smooth[-skinned, i.e. hairless] condition of early manhood.

- arbuscula, caule ramoso, laevi (Swartz), a small tree, with the stem branched, smooth.

- sem. plurima, angulata, laevia (Linn.), seeds very many, angled, smooth.

- frutices glabri v. pilosi, rarius tomentosi, saepissime odore gravido-rutaceo, ramulis laevibus v. glanduloso-tuberculatis (B&H), glabrous or pilose shrubs, more rarely tomentose, very often with the somewhat rank-rutaceous smell, with branchlets smooth or glandulose-tuberculate.

- folia culmi longitudine, linearía, carinata, laevia basi vaginantia (Swartz), the leaves with the length of the culm, linear, keeled, smooth, sheathing at the base.

- [moss] folia perichaetialia oblonga lata obtusiuseula erecta laevia (C. Mueller), perichaetial leaves oblong, wide, somewhat obtuse, erect, smooth [i.e. free of papillae, as the vegetative leaves].

- [moss] folia apicem versus albo-marginata acutiuscula erecta laevissima (C. Mueller), the leaves toward the apex white-bordered, somewhat acute, erect, completely smooth.

- [moss] calyptra magna in lacinias latas nonnullas fissa laevis (C. Mueller), calyptra large, some split into broad laciniae, smooth [i.e. free of papillae or hairs].

- [fungi] superficiei subaequalis, non nisi levius passim lacunosae: eius cortex laevis est, opacus, pro ratione tenuis, rigidus, fragilis (S&D), somewhat even of surface, except only it is more slightly everywhere lacunose: its cortex is smooth, opaque, relatively [i.e. in relation to others] thin, rigid, fragile.

NOTE: use of both levius (more slightly) and laevis (smooth):

- [fungi] superficiei subaequalis, non nisi levius passim lacunosae: eius cortex laevis est, opacus, pro ratione tenuis, rigidus, fragilis (S&A), somewhat even of surface, except only it is more slightly everywhere lacunose: its cortex is smooth, opaque, relatively [i.e. in relation to others] thin, rigid, fragile

glaber, glabra, glabrum (adj.A): “glabrous, smooth, especially not pubescent nor hairy” (Fernald 1950);

imberbis,-e (adj.B), imberbus,-a,-um (adj.A): beardless, “without a beard.”

Scypha laevigata, ‘Smooth scyphe’ (S.Gray); Cavendishia (Jungermannia) laevigata, Smooth cavendish (S. Gray)