A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Rod, stick: bacillum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. bacillo, ‘a small staff, a wand;’ baculum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. baculo, also baculus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. baculo, a stick, staff, as a support in walking; ferula,-ae (s.f.I), ‘ferule: a rod, switch or cane used to administer mild goads or punishments;’ fusticulus,-i (s.m.II), ‘a small piece of wood, a little stick;’ virga,-ae (s.f.I), abl.sg. virga, ‘shoot, twig, rod, switch,’ = Gk. rhabdos (s.f.I), see rhabdo-; virgula,-ae (s.f.I.), ‘a little twig, small rod, wand;’ see pole (rod); see cane, twig, wand.

Solidago virgaurea L. [virg- + -aurea] "rod of gold" or goldenrod.

NOTE: also radius,-ii (s.m.II), q.v., abl. sg. radio: a staff, rod; stakes; spokes of a wheel. Also the scipio,-onis (s.m.III) is an ornamental staff. The palus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. palo, was a stake used in military training and a wooden sword for gladiators. The dim. paxillus,-i (s.m.II) is a small stake or peg (Lewis & Short). The sceptrum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. sceptro, was an ornamental rod, a royal staff.

Knobbed rod or stick, cudgel: clava,-ae (s.f.I), club, cudgel, “a knotty branch or stick” (Lewis & Short); the fustis,-is (s.m.III), a “knobbed stick’ by which, unlike use of the ferule, one is beaten to death in capital punishment.

rod-shaped: bacilliformis,-e (adj.B), bacillaris,-e (adj.B), baculiformis,-e (adj.B); club-shaped, gradually thickened near the distal end or apex: clavatus,-a,-um (adj.A), claviformis,-e (adj.B) [> L. clava,-ae (s.f.I), club, cudgel]; clavulate, rather club-shaped or shaped like a little club (clavula,-ae, s.f.I): clavulatus,-a,-um (adj.A), clavatiusculus,-a,-um (adj.A).