Cespitosus
/ses-pih-TOH-sus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: cespitosa, cespitosum
An alternate spelling of caespitosus — both forms are used in botanical literature for the same tufted, clump-forming habit. Appears as cespitosus (masculine), cespitosa (feminine), or cespitosum (neuter). See also caespitosus.
Etymology
From Latin caespites/caespes (turf, sod, clump of grass) + -osus, meaning "forming tufts." The 'ae' digraph simplifies to 'e' in some orthographic traditions.
Example
“Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hair-grass) is the most familiar plant bearing this spelling — its dense, arching tussocks the epithet's defining image.”