maximum
/MAKS-ih-mum/🏷️ Taxonomy● Basic
Also known as: maximus, maxima
A superlative size epithet marking the largest species or form within its genus, ranked above the comparative major. The comparison is drawn inside a group rather than against plants at large, so a species carrying it may still be small beside unrelated neighbours. Appears as maximus (masculine), maxima (feminine), or maximum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin maximus, meaning "greatest" or "largest," the superlative of magnus.
Example
“Heracleum maximum (cow-parsnip) and Astrantia maxima (large masterwort) each outsize their closest relatives rather than the wider flora.”