Rhizomatosus
/ry-zoh-ma-TOH-sus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: rhizomatosa, rhizomatosum
A morphological epithet indicating the plant spreads by rhizomes — horizontal underground stems that extend outward, sending up new shoots at intervals. Rhizomatous plants can form large colonies and are valuable as vigorous ground covers, though some become invasive in ideal conditions.
Etymology
From Greek rhizoma (a mass of roots) + Latin -osus (full of, characterized by), from rhiza (root) + -oma (that which is formed).
Example
“Iris germanica, Polygonatum (Solomon's seal), and many bamboos spread by the horizontal underground stems their rhizomatous description implies — sometimes very vigorously indeed.”