A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin


Shrub, bush, “a woody perennial, smaller than a tree, usually with several stems” (Fernald 1950): frutex,-icis (s.m.III), abl.sg. frutice, nom. & acc. pl.frutices, dat. & abl. pl. fruticibus; batus,-i (s.f.I), abl. sg. bato, = Gk. batos, the blackberry-bush; Batus Idaea, the raspberry-bush (Rubus idaeus); dumus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. dumo 'thorn-bush, bramble'; sentis,-is (s.c.III), abl. sg. sente, nom. & acc. pl. sentes, dat. & abl. pl. sentibus: a thorn-bush, briar, esp. Rosa canina but also brambles, q.v., usually plural; a brake of thorny bushes; thamn-, thamno-, -thamnius,-a,-um (adj.A): (in Gk. comp.) -bush, -shrub [> Gk. thamnos (s.m.II), a bush, shrub], usually describing a habit with many branches (bushy); cf. suffrutex,-icis (s.m. III) 'half-shrub'; v. shrublet; see bramble, bush, thicket; see arbuscula,-ae (s.f.I), frutex,-icis (s.m.III); see herb, tree; NOTE: arbustum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. arbusto: “a shrub; that is to say, a woody perennial plant, having no distinct bole, but only a collection of woody branches” (Lindley); - microthamnius,-a,-um (adj.A), microthamnious, full of small branches. - frutex omnino glaber ramosissimus sempervirens ad 1 m. altus, ramulis hornotinis ancipitibus, shrub entirely glabrous much branched evergreen to 1 m. high, with this year's branchlets 1 m. high, with this year's branchlets two-edged (Stearn). - frutex dioecius, effusus, ramossimus; shrub dioecious, straggling, much branched. - Herbae, suffrutices aut frutices sarmentosi (DeCandolle), herbs, subshrubs or shrubs bearing stolons [i.e. long, trailing branches]. - in montosis atque regionibus alpinis, inter frutices ad rupes vel ad terram lapidosam humidiusculam per totam Europam (Mueller), in mountanous [places] and alpine regions, among bushes, on rocks or on stony ground, somewhat moist, throughout all Europe. NOTE: A woody, climbing vine, such as a liana is a ‘scandent shrub:’ frutex scandens, abl. sg. frutice scandente; see liana. NOTE: frutex,-icis (s.m.III), arbuscula,-ae (s.f.I), fruticulus,-i (s.m.II): “a plant with a woody stem, not growing three times as high as a man, and branched very near the ground.” (S. Gray). dumus,-i (s.m.II),“a low shrub much branched at the bottom” (S. Gray). suffrutex,-icis (s.m.III), “A woody plant, without buds which is not an arm’s length in height” (S. Gray). In Gk. combinations: rhipi-, q.v., also ripi-: in Gk. comb. rhipid-, rhipis, wickerwork, made of flexible osier-twigs, etc. Ripogonum,-i (s.n.II) Forster. From ripos, a flexile twig [as for weaving or plaiting], and gonos, a shoot. Smilaceae. Ornamental climbers (Paxton). rhops-, q.v.: in Gk. comp., a twig; bush, shrub; underwood, brushwood [> Gk. r[h]Ops (s.f.III), gen. rhOpos: shrub, bush; in plural: underwood, brushwood (Liddell & Scott]); dim. rhOpion (s.n.II): bush; twig, bough. Chamaerops, Linn. Chamai, on the ground, rhops [s.f.III], a twig; alluding to the low growth of the plants. Palmaceae. (Paxton) thamn-, q.v., thamno-, -thamnius,-a,-um (adj.A): (in Gk. comp.) -bush, -shrub, usually describing a habit with many branches (bushy); with small branches or twigs; Thamnidium, Link. From thamnos, a twig, the appearance of the plant when under the microscope. Mucoraceae. A minute plant found on putrid substances (Paxton). Halothamnus,-i (s.m.II), Saltbush, > Gk. (h)als, ‘salt’ + thamnos, ‘bush;’ Rhodothamnus,-i (s.m.II), > Gk. rhodo-, ‘red’ + thamnos, a shrub; “from the rosy flowers of this alpine shrub. Ericacese” (Stearn 1996). Thamnobryum, a pleurocarpous moss in reference to the bushy habit with a stipe below a branching crown.
shrub-like, shrubby: arbusculiformis,-e (adj.B) 'resembling a small tree;' see shrubby.
Shrub with tree-like form, small tree: arbuscula,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. arbuscula.