A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Palma,-ae (s.f.I), abl.sg. palma:

1. palm of the hand; Gk. palam-, palamo-, q.v., the hand.

2. width of 3 inches [8 cm.]; “three inches, or the breadth of the four fingers [digitus,-i (s.m.II, = 3/4 inch) of the hand” (Lindley); see palmus,-i (s.m.II) [= 9 inches or a Roman span];

- siliqua 2 palmas longa (DeCandolle), the silique 2 palms long [i.e. 6 inches].

NOTE: Gk. dOron (s.n.II): a gift; also the breadth of the hand, the palm; “the front part of the palm; a hand’s breadth, a palm, as a measure of length” (Liddell & Scott)]; see dor-, doro-.

3. a plant of the family Palmae (Arecaceae), a palm-tree, “from the resemblance of its leaves to an outstretched hand” (WIII); also the fruit of the palm-tree, a date (Lewis & Short);

- arbor habitu Palmarum (DeCandolle), a tree with the habit of Palms.

- [Macrozamia Denisonii]stirpem habitu palmam referentem nomine excellentissimi Guilielmi Thomae Denison ornare velimus (F. Mueller), we wish to dedicate the plant, represengin the palm in habit, by the name of the most excellent William Thomas Denison.

- palma scandens gracilis sparse armata glabra ad 2 m. alta, palm climbing slender scantily armed glabrous to 2 m. high.

- palma elata erecta valida, trunco annulato spinis nigris horrido, palm tall erect strong-growing, with trunk annulate bristling with black spines (Stearn).

- Patria. In umbrosis argillaceis ad radices palmarum Jamaicae. Lectus quoque in caudice alto Arecae oleraceae (Mueller), native place. in shady clay [places, sc. locis] on the roots of the palms of Jamaica. Collected also on the tall trunk of Areca oleracea.

Palma Christi: Ricinus communis, the Castor-bean.

Palmetto: Sabal Palmetto, the Common Palmetto “usually plants with stiff long trunks” (Bailey); “influenced by Italian -ett0, -ette, of palmito “any of several usually low-growing fan palms” (WIII).

Inodes palmetto ; Corypha palmetto Chamaerops palmetto Sabal palmetto (Arecaceae)

NOTE: palmus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. palmo: the palm of the hand; a Roman or English span, nine inches, i.e. twelve digits; see spithama,-ae (s.f.I).

Palman: according to L. H. Bailey, in a palmately divided palm leaf, any undivided central or basal portion, the undivided central portion of a palmate leaf (cf. Genera Palmarum, Dransfield and Uhl 1987); pars folii indivisa, 'the undivided part of the leaf';

- parte folii basali indivisa latiore differt, it differs by the basal undivided part of the leaf wider.

Sublimia palmicaulis, with a palm-like stem.

Palm, small: palmunculus,-a,-um (adj.A).