A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

sylvestris,-e (adj.B), rarely silvestris,-e (adj.B): pertaining to woods; growing wild (opp. to cultus, sativus, hortensis); syn. sylvaticus,-a,-um (adj.A); syn. saltuosus,-a,-um (adj.A), wooded, well wooded;’ cf. hortensis,-e (adj.B), horticultural, pertaining to gardens; cf. agrestis,-e (adj.B), agricultural, pertaining to cultivated fields;

- Var. [alpha] quae etiam sylvestris reperitur, forsan tamen ex hortis migrata (DeCandolle), the var. alpha, which is also found in the wild, perhaps nevertheless migrated from gardens.

- [fungus] In Pyri communis, sylvestris aeque ac hortensis, foliis hinc inde frequens (S&A), the wild and also the garden, frequent here and there on the leaves of Pyrus communis.

- rosa silvestris in frutecto tenebroso, a wild rose in a dark shrubby place.

- specim. sylvestre videtur vix palmare demissum, hortense erectum 2-3-pedale (DeCandolle), a wild specimen seen low-lying, scarcely three inches high, a horticultural [specimen] erect, 2-3-feet high.

- Arbor aspectu P. sylvestrem referens potius quam A. pectinatam quae aspectu pyramidato, foliis pectinatim dispositis duplo longioribus differt (Boissier), a tree resembling in form Pinus sylvestris rather than [Abies] pectinata which differs by its conical habit, by the leaves arranged like a comb, two times longer.

- incolit folia Polygoni Convolvuli arvensis hortensisque passim haud infrequens (S&A), it inhabits the leaves of Polygonum Convolvulus of cultivated fields [i.e. agricultural] and horticultural everywhere not at all infrequent.

NOTE: Stearn (1983) indicated the above (ending in -is,-e) is a convention based on Linnaean usage, although classically silvestris,-e (adj.B) was apparently used more often than silvester (Lewis & Short), a form used by Pliny.