Tomentosus
/toh-men-TOH-sus/🏷️ Taxonomy●● Intermediate
Also known as: tomentosa, tomentosum
A texture epithet describing a surface covered in dense, tangled, matted hairs that create a woolly or felt-like texture, similar to a thick blanket of fibers. Distinct from hirsutus (coarsely hairy) or pubescens (softly hairy). Appears as tomentosus (masculine), tomentosa (feminine), or tomentosum (neuter).
Etymology
From Latin tomentum, meaning "stuffing" or "cushion filling" (wool, hair), + -osus (full of).
Example
“Ceanothus tomentosus and Stachys byzantina (lamb's ears) both have the characteristic dense, white, woolly indumentum the epithet describes.”