A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin


Keel, a sharp or abrupt fold; “formed in the manner of the keel of a boat; that is to say, with a sharp projecting ridge, arising from a flat or concave central plate, as the glumes of Grasses” (Lindley); “a central dorsal ridge, like the keel of a boat; the two anterior united petals of a papilionaceous flower” (Fernald 1950); in hepaticae, “(leaves, perianths): commissure or line formed by a sharp fold of a leaf, U- or V-shaped in section (e.g., the keel of a complicate-bilobed leaf of Scapania nemorosa); also used for the juncture of two sides of a perianth, e.g. a trigonous perianth is 3-keeled in Chiloscyphus spp.” (Engel & Glenny 2008): carina,-ae (s.f.I), acc. sing. carinam, gen. sg. carinae, abl. sing. carina, (diatoms); see -tropis,-idis (s.f.III): in Gk. comp. ‘keel, keeled;’ see carina,-ae (s.f.I); - CYTEOPHYTUM, a vocibus Kytoseos, ‘carina,’ cavitas seu fundum navis & phyton ‘planta’ originem ducit (Necker), Cyteophytum, takes its origin from the words Kytoseos, ‘carina,’ the cavity or bottom of a ship and phyton, ‘plant.’ Necker goes on to say “flores, quorum sepalum inferius saepe cymbiforme constanter carinatum” the flowers, the lower sepal of which is often cymbiform, constantly carinate: cymbiform, “both concave and keeled, or broadly boat-shaped.” NOTE: the Greek neuter word kytos,-eos (s.n.III) means ‘hollow’ and Necker’s word ‘kytoseos seems to be the genitive singular of it - it does not refer to the keel of the ship, but the hold, or the hollow place inside a ship.] -tropis,-idis (s.f.III): in Gk. comp. ‘keel, keeled; = L. carina,-ae (s.f.I), q.v.;’ Oxytropis,-idis DC. (s.f.III), gen. sg. Oxytropidis, dat. sg. Oxytropidi, abl. sg. Oxytropide, > Gk. oxus, sharp + tropis, ship's keel. FABACEAE (epithets): amblytropis, with a blunt keel; brachytropis, with a short keel; iodotropis, with a violet keel; lasiotropis, with a wooly or hairy keel; macrotropis, with a great keel; megalotropis, with a large keel.
keel, pertaining to or belonging to: carinalis,-e (adj.B). - sulcus carinalis punctatus, keel furrow punctate.
keel-shaped, cariniform: cariniformis,-e (adj.B).