Inflatus
/in-FLAH-tus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: inflata, inflatum
A morphological epithet describing a structure that is puffed up or inflated — swollen beyond what solid tissue would produce, as if filled with air. Applied to inflated sepals, bladder-like pods, or swollen stems. Appears as inflatus (masculine), inflata (feminine), or inflatum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin inflatus, past participle of inflare (to inflate or blow into), from in- + flare (to blow).
Example
“Astragalus inflatus and Chenopodium inflatum have the characteristic puffed-up calyces or bladder-like seed coverings the epithet describes — structures swollen far beyond their apparent need.”