A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

parvus,-a,-um (adj.A): little, small, puny; small in amount or quantity; small in size or extent; (of age) used of young creatures; (of time) short in duration; (of things), small, slight, small in degree; small in value or worth; trivial, insignificant;

Note: usual Latin comparative = minor, minus, q.v. 'smaller, less;' superlative minimus,-a,-um (adj.A) 'smallest, least; but also compar. parvior,-ius (adj.B), superl. parvissimus,-a,-um (adj.A) in stearn; see small; opp. magnus,-a,-um (adj.A), ‘big, large;’ see minor, minus (comp. adj.).

- embryo in albumin copioso insigniter ruminato parvus v. minutus (B&H), the embryo in a copious albumen that is remarkably ruminate[i.e. chewed-looking] small or minute.

- herba perpusilla, tenuis, foliis gracile petiolatis trifoliolatis, floribus parvis purpureis (B&H), an herb extremely small, slender, with the leaves finely petiolate, trifoliolate, with the flowers small, purple.

- [Aroideae] flores parvi v. minuti, interdum fetidissimi (B&H), the flowers small or minute, sometimes excessively ill-smelling.

- semina parva v. magna, globosa ellipsoidea v. oblonga, recta v. curva (B&H), seeds small or large, globose, ellipsoid or oblong, straight or curved.

- receptaculo femineo parvo tetracarpo. with the female receptacle small, four-fruited.

- sporae parvae, 8-20 um, spores small, 8-20 um.

- ab affinibus foliolis minoribus differt, it differs from its relatives by the leaflets smaller.

- gemmae in massas parvas evolutae, gemmae developed into small masses.

- fructibus parvioribus ca. 9 mm diametro differt, it differs by the smaller fruits ca. 9 mm in diameter.

- floribus parvis, with small flowers.

- stigma indivisum, parvum punctiforme, stigma undivided small dot-shaped [i.e. reduced to a mere point].

- annulus mediocris vel subparvus, dilute livescens, constanter praesens (S&A), annulus medium or a little small, a diluted bluish gray, constantly present.

- staminibus inferioribus nunc brevioribus at perfectis, nunc minimis antheris parvis cassis v. rudimentariis (B&H), with the lower stamens sometimes shorter, and yet perfect, sometimes tiny, with the anthers small, empty or rudimentary.

- corollae parvas tubo calycem semisuperante, disco hypogyno vix sinuato (F. Mueller), with the tube of the small corolla half-extending over the calyx, with the hypogynous disc scarcely sinuate.

- [Saxifrageae] petala saepissime 4 v. 5, raro 0, perigyna, rarius epigyna, rarissime hypogyna, saepe parva, imbricata v. valvata (B&H), the petals most often 4 or 5, rarely 0, perigynous, more rarely epigynous, most rarely hypogynous, often small, imbricate or valvate.

- discrimina, inter hanc et var. a, intercedentia, parvi sane momenti esse, nec ad speciem separandam sufficere videntur (S&A), the interceding distinctions, between this and var. a, seem to be quite of little importance, to be not sufficient for separating it to a species.

NOTE: paucus,-a,-um (adj.A) is ‘small in quantity, few,’ whereas parvus,-a,-um (adj.A) is ‘small in size;’

- staminibus tubo insertis v. hypogynis in generibus perpaucis parvis per varios Ordines dispersis (B&H), with the stamens inserted on the tube or hypogynous in a very few small genera scattered throughout the various Orders.