Sericeus
/seh-REE-see-us/🏷️ Taxonomy●●● Advanced
Also known as: sericea, sericeum
A texture epithet describing a surface covered in long, fine, flat-lying hairs that create a smooth, lustrous, silk-like sheen. Silky-haired plants catch light beautifully and have a very different texture from the matte, tangled feel of tomentosus. Appears as sericeus (masculine), sericea (feminine), or sericeum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin sericeus, meaning "of silk" or "silken," from sericum (silk), from Greek serikos (silken), from Seres (the Chinese, silk-producing people).
Example
“Stipa sericea and Salix sericea (silky willow) have the characteristic long, flat-lying hairs that catch the light and give their surfaces an unmistakably lustrous, silky quality.”