Cirrhosus
/sir-OH-sus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: cirrhosa, cirrhosum
A morphological epithet indicating the plant climbs by means of tendrils — thread-like, coiling structures that grasp supports. Tendril climbers are among the most elegant of all climbing mechanisms. Appears as cirrhosus (masculine), cirrhosa (feminine), or cirrhosum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin cirrhus/cirrus (a tendril, a curl of hair) + -osus (having), meaning "having tendrils."
Example
“Clematis cirrhosa (fern-leaved clematis) climbs by twisting its leaf stalks around supports, and Vitis and Passiflora species climb by true tendrils — the coiling structures the epithet describes.”