Deltoideus
/del-TOY-dee-us/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: deltoidea, deltoideum
A leaf shape epithet describing a roughly triangular leaf — widest at the base and tapering to a point at the tip, like the Greek letter delta (Δ). Appears as deltoideus (masculine), deltoidea (feminine), or deltoideum (neuter).
Etymology
From Greek delta (the triangular letter Δ) + -oides (resembling), meaning "delta-shaped."
Example
“Populus deltoides (eastern cottonwood) has the classic broadly triangular leaves that give the species its precise geometric epithet.”