A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

obsoletus,-a,-um (part.A): obsolete, rudimentary, suppressed, scarcely apparent, vestigial, undeveloped fully and not fully functional, nearly absent, such as in a midrib or other organ that is poorly developed; weak, faint; “not evident; rudimentary; extinct” (Fernald 1950); old, worn out, thrown off; (bryology) “obsolete, scarcely evident, almost lacking; usually referring to the costa” (Magill 1990); cf. exoletus,-a,-um (part.A), ‘mature, grown up, full grown;’ see stunted;

- glumae latae venis praeter centralem fere obsoletis (B&H), glumes broad, with the veins except for the central one scarcely apparent [i.e. almost obsolete].

- tubo nectarifero brevissimo obsoleto (DeCandolle), with the nectar-bearing tube very short, vestigial.

- lobi latérales erecti columnam amplectentes v. parvi dentiformes v. obsoleti (B&H), the lateral lobes erect, enfolding the column or small, toothlike or vestigial.

- 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.

- lodiculae subcarnosae more often fused, yet often easily separable or ultimately saepius connatae saepe tamen facile separabiles v. demum sponte solutae nunc brevissimae v. obsoletae (B&H), the lodicules almost fleshy, or ultimately spontaneously broken apart, sometimes very short or nearly absent.

- caryopsis crassa, vix compressa, sulco angustissimo v. obsoleto (B&H), the caryopsis thick, scarcely compressed, with a very narrow or nearly absent furrow.

- foliis venulis transversis obsoletis (B&H), with the veinlets transverse, poorly developed.

- semina strophiolo minimo v. obsoleto (B&H), seeds with the strophiole very small or hardly developed.

- calycis margo obsoletus (Boissier),the margin of the calyx suppressed.

- rostelli lobus medius dentiformis angustia v. obsoletus (B&H), the middle lobe of the rostellum tooth-like, narrow or rudimentary.

- forma altera parva, viridi, articulis cylindricis, cum cellulis perdurantibus hic illic interjectis, vaginis interdum obsoletis, saepius diffluentibus (Wood), one form small, green with cylindrical joints, the [heterocysts] scattered here and there, sometimes with the sheaths sometimes absent, often diffluent [i.e. disappearing];

- tubus nectarifer obsoletus (DeCandolle), nectar-bearing tube undeveloped.