A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

cinereus,-a,-um (adj.A): ash-colored, ash gray, “ash-gray; a mixture of white and black” (Lindley); similar to ashes [> L. cinis,-eris (s.m.III), q.v., ashes]; cf. Gk. tephros,-a,-on (adj.), ash-colored > tephreus,-a,-um (adj.A), tephrus,-a,-um (adj.A), the gray of wood ashes = Lat. cinereus,-a,-um (adj.A).

- color modo cinereus, modo argillaceus; sed sordide rubiginosum, the color sometimes ash-gray, sometimes clay-colored; but also a dirty rusty-red.

- suffrutex strictus, rigidus, cinereus (B&H), a subshrub, straight, rigid, ash-gray.

- pedunculis erectis ramisque cinereo-velutinis (DeCandolle), with the peduncles erect and the branches a velvety-gray.

- [fungi] stroma e cinereo nigrum; sphaerularum color saturatior (S&A), stroma from ash-gray to black [i.e. black tinged with gray], the color of the sphaerules deeper.

- [alga] fila uncialia & ultra, crassitie Osc. Limosae aequalia, nudisque oculis satis conspicua, cinereo-lutescentia (Agardh), the filaments one inch long and more, equal in thickness to Oscillatoria limosa, and quite conspicuous to the nated eye, ash-colored-yellowish.

- [alga] siccata sistit stratum subpulvereum, glaucescens vel cinereo-viride plantas marinas obducens (Agardh), when dry it consists of an almost powdery layer, growing bluish or grayish-green, covering marine plants.

- [lichen] thallus obscure virescens opacus, lineari-laciniatus, laciniis fere radiantibus, nonnihil convolutis convexitate superna (infra cinereo-virescentibus concavis, fere canalìculatis) (Nyl.), the thallus a dull green, opaque, linear-laciniate, with the laciniae [i.e. segments] almost radiant [i.e. extending out from a common center, stellate], somewhat convolute, with an upper convexity [i.e. a hollow convex curvature] (below ashy gray- greenish, concave, almost canaliculate).

- [lichen] thallus supra laevis vel saepius tenuiter nigricanti-furfuraceus, subtus cinereus vel albo-cinereus denseque breviter incano-tomentellus (Nyl.), thallus smooth above or more often thinly grayed-black-furfuraceous [i.e. covered with soft scales], beneath ash-gray or white-ashen gray and also densely, shortly whitish-gray tomentellous.

- [lichen] thalius totus (supra infraque) confertissime isidioso-rugulosus vel isidio [sic] furfuraceo concolore fere totus obtectus, sordide cinereo-virescens. (Nyl.), the whole thallus (above and also below) most compactly isidiose-slightly wrinkled or nearly the whole covered with furfuraceous one-colored isidium, dirty ashen gray-greenish.

NOTE: the following description seems to indicate B&H regarded ‘cinereus’ as ‘ashen’ or powdery, as the color itself is ‘white;’ or, as in canus,-a,-um (adj.A), associates the word with a hairy surface;

- flores subcymoso-fasciculati pedicellique cinerei, albi, odorati (B&H), the flowers nearly cymose-fasciculate, and the pedicels ash-gray, white, fragrant.

- arbusculae cinereo-pubescentes, non amarae (B&H), small tree ashy-pubescent, not bitter.

- frutices cinereo-tomentosi, erecti, ecirrosi (B&H), shrubs ashen gray-tomentose, erect, lacking tendrils.

- arbores et arbusculae, glabrae v. partibus novellis cinereis (B&H), trees and small trees, glabrous or with the new parts ash-gray [with some grayish covering].

canus,-a,-um (adj.A): “Grey-white. A term applied to hairy surfaces” (Lindley); grayish white, usu. applied to hair-covering.

griseus,-a,-um (adj.A): gray, pearl-gray, pure gray a little verging to blue.

Eupatorium rhodotephrum, reddish-gray; Sisymbrium cinereum; Smelowskia cinerea; Salix cinerea, Gray Willow, “ashy” (Fernald 1950).

Lecanora cinérea (lichen).