Spathulatus
/spath-yoo-LAH-tus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: spathulata, spathulatum
A leaf shape epithet describing a leaf shaped like a spatula — narrow at the base and broadening out to a rounded or oval tip. A common leaf shape in rosette-forming plants and succulents. Appears as spathulatus (masculine), spathulata (feminine), or spathulatum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin spathula (a small spatula), diminutive of spatha (a broad blade), from Greek spathe (a broad flat blade).
Example
“Sedum spathulifolium and Arabis spathulata both have the characteristic narrow-then-broad, spatula-outline leaf that distinguishes them from narrow-leaved or broadly ovate relatives.”