A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

-coma,-ae (s.f.I) ‘-hair; -coma; -tuft’ (L. combining noun suffix); see -come,-es (s.f.I);

NOTE: often Gk. nouns ending in ‘e’ may also be transcribed in ‘a,’ becoming regular Latin -a,-ae (s.f.I).

NOTE: epithets in –coma may be adjectives (-comus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v.). Such endings may represent nouns in apposition which may be demonstrated if the –a in the epithet represents a different gender than that of the generic name, e.g. Bryum chrysocoma, the epithet would be a noun in apposition to ‘Bryum,’ a neuter noun.

NOTE: this noun is used in both Greek and Latin, so may be compounded with either Greek or Latin prefixes and suffixes.

Examples of generic names ending in -coma with a representative epithet: all are declined as standard Latin first declension feminine nouns:

Achyrocoma tomentosa; Acoma dissecta; Anisocoma acaulis; Chrysocoma acaulis; Clomenocoma aurantia; Dicoma aethiopica; Heterocoma lanuginosa; Isocoma arguta; Phaenocoma prolifera; Piptocoma hypochlora; Podocoma nana; Pyrrocoma angustifolia; Rhacoma salinum; Setaria auricoma; Stephanocoma incana; Xanthocoma dentata

Callicoma,-ae (s.f.I) “The name is expressive of the pretty bunches of yellow flowers; and is derived from kalos, beautiful, and kome, hair. Cunoniaceae" (Paxton).

Chrysocoma,-ae (s.f.I): > Gk. chrysos, gold + kome, hair; the stems are terminated by tufts of yellow flowers. Asteraceae (Paxton).

Diplocoma,-ae (s.f.I) > Gk. diploos, double, and koma, hair; “the pappus is of two forms. Asteraceae” (Paxton).

Eriocoma,-ae (s.f.I), Kunth. > Gk. erion, wool, and home, hair; alluding to the woolly paleae. Asteraceae. (Paxton).

Eurycoma,-ae (s.f.I): > Gk. eurys, large + come, a head of hair; in allusion to the tufts of flowers at the tops of the branches. Connaraceae (Paxton).