A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

spithameus,-a,-um (adj.A), also spithamaeus,-a,-um (adj.A): 7 inches, a [Greek] span long or high; cf. dodrantalis,-e (adj.B), referring to a nine inch length;

- stirps spithamaea (F. Mueller), plant [7 inches] long.

- truncus spithameus aut pedalis (Hedw.), the stem [7 inches] or one foot [12 inches] [long].

- pileus e convexo planiusculus, plerumque laevis , 3 — 4 unc. latus , interdum tamen etiam giganteus, spithamaeus et ultra (S&A), pileus from convex to somewhat flat, usually smooth, 3-4 inches wide, yet sometimes gigantic, a spithama [ca. seven inches] and more.

- (moss) caules fasciculati, spithamaei ad dodrantales (Hooker), the stems fasciculate, 7 [or 7.5] inches to nine inches.

- (moss) Caulis spithamaeus ad dodrantalem (Hooker), the stem 7 [or 7.5] inches to 9 inches tall.

- [alga] frondes aggregatae, spithameae, pedales, 2 pedales, pennam passerinam crassitie subaequantes, teretes, filiformes, filis confervoideis, tenuissimis, simplicibus (Agardh), fronds aggregate [i.e. clustered together], a span [i.e. 7 inches long], a foot, 2 feet, almost equalling a sparrow feather in thickness, rounded-cylindric, thread-like, with the filaments confervoid, very thin, unbranched.

Convolvulus spithamaeus L., ‘a span high’ (Fernald 1950), not usually twining but more or less erect, a plant that is 0.7-5 dm [i.e. 50 cm] high, with a variety up to 1 m tall; a synonym of this species is C. stans, meaning “standing erect.”