cespitosa
/sess-pih-TOH-suh/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: cespitosus, cespitosum
A growth habit epithet for clump-forming plants, written without the diphthong in the spelling that many floras and seed lists prefer. The character described is the same: dense basal tufts of shoots or leaves rather than creeping stems. Appears as cespitosus (masculine), cespitosa (feminine), or cespitosum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin caespes/caespitis (turf, clump), the source of both spellings.
Example
“Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hairgrass) and Oenothera cespitosa (fragrant evening primrose) are both listed under this spelling, each forming a tight basal mound.”