Apicalis
/ap-ih-KAY-lis/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: apicale
Apicalis means "at the apex" — at the tip or growing point of a stem, branch, leaf or other organ, as opposed to along its sides or at its base. In a plant name it generally flags where the distinctive feature sits: flowers borne right at the end of the shoot, a patch of colour at the leaf tip, or a pore that opens at the top of a fruit. It runs close to terminalis, which likewise places a structure at the end of a stem, so treat both as instructions about where to look.
Etymology
From Latin apex, apicis ("point, top, summit") + the adjectival ending -alis.
Example
“Apicalis tells you to look at the very tip of the shoot for whatever makes this species distinctive.”