Paradoxus
/pa-ra-DOK-sus/Also known as: paradoxa, paradoxum
An epithet indicating the plant has some feature that is surprising, contradictory, or at odds with expectation — either it does not behave as its genus would suggest, or it has a combination of features that seem contradictory. It is one of the most intellectually honest of all epithets, acknowledging botanical surprise. Appears as paradoxus (masculine), paradoxa (feminine), or paradoxum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin paradoxus, from Greek paradoxos, meaning "contrary to expectation," from para- (beyond, contrary to) + doxa (opinion, expectation).
Example
“Cyperus paradoxus and Epimedium paradoxum both carry this epithet for features that puzzled their naming botanists — characteristics that did not fit neatly into established patterns for the genus.”