A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

rectus,-a,-um (part.A): see recto (Eng. noun);

1. 'led straight along, drawn in a straight line (horizontal or vertical), straight, upright;’ in a horizontal direction, straight; “in a right line. Not wavy or curved, or deviating from a straight direction in any way” (Lindley); “in a right line, straight, not curved” (Jackson) [> L. rego, rexi, rectum, 3. to keep straight, or from going wrong, to lead straight; to guide, conduct]; in Gk. comp. euthy-, q.v., ithy-, q.v.; ortho-, q.v.; see erect; see straight; see true; opp. curvus,-a,-um (adj.A), ‘curved;’ opp. ‘crooked,’ q.v. (see flexuosus,-a,-um (adj.A); opp. ‘contorted,’ q.v.;

NOTE: it does not appear to matter in which direction the line trends, so long as it is a straight line.

- [Caltha] capsulis rostro adunco vel recto(DeCandolle), with the capsules with a hooked or straight beak.

- in rectum, along a straight line; (of a route) straight forward, in a straight line; in a vertical or horizontal direction, vertically.

- scapus erectus, rectus vel flexuosus, scape upright, straight or flexuous.

- semina parva v. magna, globosa ellipsoidea v. oblonga, recta v. curva (B&H), seeds small or large, globose, ellipsoid or oblong, straight or curved.

- conidiophora recta vel flexuosa, conidiophores straight or flexuose.

- radicula brevissima, recta, inter cotyledones retracta (B&H), radicle very short, straight, drawn back between the cotyledons.

- embryo (ubi notus) arcuatus v. subrectus, albumine parco (B&H), embryo (when noted) arched or somewhat straight, with the albumen scanty.

- dentes peristomii 32, lineares, recti vel 1.5-plo torquentes, the teeth of the peristome 32, linear, straight or 1.5-times turning round.

- clava distincta, alba, item recta, fistulosa, elongata, deorsum cylindrica , sursum subulata (S&A), the club [fruiting structure] separate, white, also straight, hollow, elongate, downwardly cylindric, upwards subulate.

- vena recta (adj.A), abl. pl. venis rectis: with the veins (nerves) straight: vena recta (adj.A), abl. pl. venis rectis.

- (algae) coelomatibus phyllomatis exacte et aequaliter dichotomis, ramis latere agglutinatis rectis, non intricatis (Braun), with the coelomata of the phyllome strictly and equally dichotomous, with the branches on the side aggultinated [i.e. adhering or glued together], straight, not entangled.

NOTE: rectus is used to suggest straightness (i.e. not curved), whereas erectus suggests a structure is 'upright' as in perpendicular, such as in a scape, not reclining.

recto-acuminatus,-a,-um (adj.A): with the acumination straight.

recto-rostellatus,-a,-um (adj.A): with a small, straight beak (rostrum).

strictus,-a,-um (part.A), q.v.: very upright or erect, very straight and rigid; “very upright, or very straight” (Lindley).

surrectus,-a,-um (adj.A): sub + rectus (part.A), somewhat, almost or nearly straight.

Clematis erecta var. surrecta, praecocior (DeCandolle); ‘surrecta’ here may indicate the variety is ‘somewhat’ like the species Clematis recta L.

2. rectus,-a,-um (part.A): correct, true; proper, right, appropriate; opp. to what is false or improper; “functioning or performed correctly” (Glare); see recte (adv.); see false.