A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Tropic (Eng.noun), pl. tropics: [> Gk. tropikos (adj.), of the solstice, > tropE (s.f.I), action of turning]; the tropics are circles of latitude where the sun ‘turns;’ cf. solstitium,-ii (s.n.II); see -tropic (in Gk. comp.);

Circulus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. circulo: a circle, a circular figure; (in geography) a zone or belt on the earth's surface [or celestial].

- tropa,-ae (s.f.I): the tropic solstice.

- tropic of Cancer: circulus (s.m.II) solstitialis (adj.B), abl. sg. circulo solstitiali; orbis (s.m.III) solstitialis, abl. sg. orbe solstitiali; the apparent position of the sun at the time of the June solstice; the ‘northern tropic;’ 23* 26’16’’ north (of the equator) latitude; summer solstice.

- tropic of Capricorn: circulus brumalis (adj.B), abl. sg. circulo brumali; orbis brumalis, abl. sg. orbe brumali; the apparent position of the sun at the time of the December solstice; the ‘southern tropic’; 23*26’16’’ south (of the equator) latitude; winter solstice.

- Ordo per totum fere orbem terrarum dispersus, inter tropicos tamen rarior et ibidem vix nisi inter montes occurrit (B&H), the Order, dispersed nearly throughout the entire world, however it is more rare between the tropics and hardly occurs in the same place [i.e. in that area] except between the mountains.

The topics is the region of the earth straddling the equator limited in latitude by the topic of cancer in the northern hemisphere and by the tropic of capricorn in the southern; zona (s.f.I) tropica (adj.A); zona torrida (adj.A); regiones (pl.f.III) torridae, abl. pl. regionibus torridis, ‘hot (and dry) regions.’ “The tropics” = Circuli tropici, abl. pl. circulis tropicis; orbes tropici, abl. pl. orbibus tropicis; the noun is often dropped and the adjective alone is used, as in ‘inter tropicos’ between the tropics.

-tropic, -tropous, less correctly ‘-tropal’: in Gk. comp., -tropicus,-a,-um (adj.A), -tropus,-a,-um (adj.A), ‘turning, changing or tending to turn or change, esp. in a (specified) manner or in response to a (specified) stimulus;’ also “attracted specifically to (such) a tissue, organ, or system (neurotropic, viscerotropic” (WIII) [> Gk. tropos, s.m.II: a turn, direction, way; manner, fashion, mode; tropE is the solstice or tropic, i.e. the points of midsummer and midwinter, when the sun appears to turn his course; also the rout (turning) of the enemy (Liddell & Scott)];

NOTE: -trophic, in Gk comp., q.v., relating to nutrition: -trophicus,-a,-um (adj.A); -trophus,-a,-um (adj.A) may also be spelled –tropicus,-a,-um (adj.A) (WIII), e.g. ectotropic, endotropic.

1. - amphitropicus, amphitropous q.v.: in or with two manners. (as in a hepatic, with two different kinds of phyllotaxis, the ventral representing one genus, the dorsal another).

- campylotropous, campylotropicous: campylotropus,-a,-um (adj.A), campylotropicus,-a,-um (adj.A), (fungi) “curved” (S&D).

- deuteroptropicus, deuterotropic, in or with two ways.

- heterotropic, in different ways; uncertain, inconstant.

2.- (generally of ovules);

- anatropicus, anatropusq.v., anatropic, the ovule is the reverse of its usual position;

- campylotopicus, q.v., campylotropous, ‘having the ovule curved so that the micropyle is located near the base (WIII).

- lycotropus, q.v., an orthotropous ovule but shaped like a horse-shoe.

- orthotropicus, orthotropus, with the direction of growth vertical.

3. twining, turning or bending;

- apogeotropicus,-a,-um (adj.A): turning or bending upward or away from the ground.

- ectotropicus, (fungi) curving out (Ainsworth & Bisby).

- eutropicus, twining with the sun, twisted from left to right.

- geotropicus: geotropic, when gravitational attraction is the orienting factor, as in the downward growth of roots, or the upward growth of shoots, and the “climbing, swimming, or right-side-up orientation certain animals’ (WIII).

- heliotropicus, heliotropus, turning in response to or toward the sun.

- phototropicus, turning in response to light.

- plagiotropicus, plagiotropus, with the direction of growth oblique or horizontal.