A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

protean, capable of change, exceedingly variable; possessed of infinite variety, such as in shape, color, size, texture; associated with Proteus, legendary Greek sea god, son of Poseidon, who had the power of assuming different shapes; of or related to the genus Protea: proteanus,-a,-um (adj.A).

Protea,-ae (s.f.I), a Linnaean generic name (Proteaceae) “The genus Protea was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form at will, because they have such a wide variety of forms” [Wikipedia 2015]; Protea,-ae (s.f.I) L., “from Proteus, a self-transforming sea-god; in allusion to the diversity of appearance of the species. Proteaceae” (Paxton); “named for the Greek sea-god, Proteus, with the power of assuming a diversity of shapes; an allusion to the diversity within the genus. Proteaceae” (Stearn 1990).

Cirsium proteanum; Gnaphalium proteoides

Gnaphalium proteiforme DC.

Gnaphalium proteaecolorum

(Orchidaceae) Eulophia protearum; Habenaria protearum; Platycoryne protearum.

Proteus anguinus (an amphibian), Proteoceramus callosus (a fossil pelecypod) (Brown).

“Proteus mirabilis is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium. It shows swarming motility and urease activity. P. mirabilis causes 90% of all Proteus infections in humans” (Wikipedia Jan 2019).

protean (Eng.adj.), capable of change, exceedingly variable; possessed of infinite variety, such as in shape, color, size, texture; associated with Proteus, legendary Greek sea god, son of Poseidon, who had the power of assuming different shapes; of or related to the genus Protea: proteanus,-a,-um (adj.A).

Protea,-ae (s.f.I), a Linnaean generic name (Proteaceae) “The genus Protea was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form at will, because they have such a wide variety of forms” [Wikipedia 2015]; Protea,-ae (s.f.I) L., “from Proteus, a self-transforming sea-god; in allusion to the diversity of appearance of the species. Proteaceae” (Paxton); “named for the Greek sea-god, Proteus, with the power of assuming a diversity of shapes; an allusion to the diversity within the genus. Proteaceae” (Stearn 1990).

Cirsium proteanum; Gnaphalium proteoides

Gnaphalium proteiforme DC.

Gnaphalium proteaecolorum

(Orchidaceae) Eulophia protearum; Habenaria protearum; Platycoryne protearum.

Proteus anguinus (an amphibian), Proteoceramus callosus (a fossil pelecypod) (Brown).

“Proteus mirabilis is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium. It shows swarming motility and urease activity. P. mirabilis causes 90% of all Proteus infections in humans” (Wikipedia Jan 2019).