A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

ternarius,-a,-um (adj.A): ternary, containing five, consisting of threes or three each; a group of three; a member of a third group; third in rank, third in order; threes; triple; = 3-narius,-a,-um (adj.A); see -narius,-a,-um (adj.A); cf. binarius (in twos); quaternarius (in fours);

- sepala et petala hypogyna, ordine ternario (v. rarius quinario) 3-oo-seriatim imbricata, seriebus saepius parum distinctis (B&H), the sepals and petals hypogynous, in a three-part (more rarely in five-part) order, 3-[numerous]-seriately imbricate [i.e. imbricate in 3-[numerous-]rows], with the rows somewhat distinct [i.e. separate].

- partes floris nunero ternario dispositae (DeCandolle), the parts of the flower arranged in a three-part number.

- flores ( abortu ? ) unisexuales, saepissime dioici minimi; tegumenta floralia uni aut multiserialia, seriebus omnibus ternario quaternariove numero constantibus (DeCandolle), the flowers (by abortion?) unisexual, most often the fewest dioicous; the floral covering in one or many-series [i.e. rows], with all the rows invariable in a three-part or four-part number.

- sepala petalaque ordine ternario 2-3-serialia. (DeCandolle), the sepals and petals in a rank of threes, in 2-3 rows.

- flores proportione partium ternaria (DeCandolle), the flowers with the relation of [their] parts in threes.

- Sphaerostema genus ad species Asiaticas constitutum differre dicitur sepalis petalisque ordine ternario nec quinario dispositis. Sepala tamen in omnibus gradatim in petala mutata sunt et in speciebus Asiaticis uti in Americanis, aequo fere jure quina v. terna dicuntur (B&H), the genus Sphaerostema [arranged with regard to the Asiatic species] is said to differ by the sepals and petals arranged in a triple order [i.e. in groups of three] not quintuple [i.e. in groups of five]. In all of them, the sepals, however, are changed gradually into petals, and in Asiatic species as in American, equally almost they are authoritatively pronounced [i.e. dictated] to be by fives or by threes.

Andropogon ternarius, ‘in threes’ , a grass with two or three racemes terminating the peduncles and with three stamens (Fernald 1950); Carex ternaria.