A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

suus,-a,-um (adj.A): reflexive possessive pronominal adjective of the third person, his (own), her (own), its (own), their (own); one’s favorite, personal, one’s own (e.g. property), one’s peculiar, particular, characteristic, one’s (very) own. Declined as meus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v., ‘my,’ tuus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v., ‘your.’ This reflexive possessive, as in any adjective, agrees with the noun it modifies in number, gender and case.

- pullos suos educo, to hatch one’s young, to hatch one’s (own) young.

NOTE: for the reflexive possessive pronoun of the third person, ‘of itself’: see sui (sibi, se, se,), himself, herself, itself, themselves, the reflexive pronoun of the third person.

               singular                              plural    
         m.     f.       n.                  m.        f.       n.      
Nom.   suus    sua      suum                sui       suae      sua        
Gen.   sui     suae     sui                 suorum    suarum    suorum      
Dat.   suo     suae     suo                           suis    
Acc.   suum    suam     suum                suos      suas      sua      
Abl.   suo     sua      suo                           suis

- suum est, it is peculiar to, characteristic of.

- Historia Muscorum in qua circiter sexcentae species veteres et novae ad sua genera relatae describuntur et iconibus genuinis illustrantur (Dill.), Historia Muscorum [i.e. an account of the mosses] in which almost 600 species, old and new are described, ascribed to a particular [i.e. characteristic] genus and illustrated with authentic [i.e. applied to type element of a species] illustrations.

- sua sponte, of one’s own accord, unaided, uninfluenced.

- herbario suo, in his/her own (personal) herbarium.

- Conyza est omnibus nota, cuius folia prae acrimonia sua viperas et serpentes fugant (“Galen” in Everett), is known to everyone, the leaves of which chase away vipers and serpents because of its [own, or particular] acrimony [i.e. pungency].

- frutices bacciferi foliis deciduis non spinosi sunt vel erecti aut suis se viribus sustinentes (Ray), the berry-producing shrubs are with leaves deciduous, not with spines, erect or supporting itself with its own strength.

- [Ceratodon; moss] A keras [=L.] cornu et odous, [= L.] dens, inde quod peristomii dentes inflexione sua et trabeculis nodulosis caprae cornua referunt (C. Muell.), from keras, [horn] and odous, [tooth], thence, because the teeth of the peristome resemble, by its characteristic inflexion and the trabeculae [i.e. cross-bars] with little knobs resembling the horns of a goat.

- species loco suo vulgatissma, the species in its own place [i.e. characteristic, peculiar, particular, facorite habitat] very common.

- foliorum lamina rigidula saepe vagina sua brevior (B&H), the blade of the leaves somewhat rigid often shorter than its own sheath.

- perianthium supra bracteas usque 1/2 longitudinis sui exsertum, the perianth above the bracts to 1/2 of its own length exserted.

- filamenta sporas e parietibus suis emmittentia, filaments sending forth spores from their own walls.

- rhachidibus foliola sua gerentibus, with the raches bearing their own leaflets.

- aves se aliis suis sustinentes, birds supporting themselves by their own wings.

- planta a Boeckelero descripta e verbis suis a Scirpo non differre videtur, nisi spiculae rhachi post anthesin valde elongata (B&H), a plant described by Boeckelero from his own words appears not to differ from Scirpus.

- Biasoletto, qui omnes suas, Algarum collectiones aggregat, Biasoletto, who gathered all his own collections of Algae [collectiones suas, his own collections, acc. pl.].

- sporidia ad parietes cellularum initio affixa sunt quasi sporae suis placentis, the sporidia at first are attached to the walls of the cells, as if spores [attached] to their own placentae.

- oriuntur itaque semper sporae ex contentu cellulae initio liquidiore, dein granuloso-solidescente, denique regulariter in partes suas definitas dilabente; the spores therefore always arise from the tissue of the cells at first more liquid, then granulose-somewhat solid, finally regularly in their definite parts, falling away.

- a Miquelio in Flora sua Indiae Batavae, genus v. synonymum praetermissum est (B&H), by Miquelius in his [own] Flora of the Dutch Netherlands, is an overlooked genus or synynym.

- in sua sententia, in [his, her] own opinion.

- fructus (achaenium) involucello persistente arcte inclusum saepeque parietibus suis plus minus adnatum, fruit (an achene) closely enclosed by the persistent involucel and often more or less adnate by its own walls.

- Cyphokentia Balansae, a Wendlandio ad genus suum Cyphosperma relata, Cyphokentia Balansae was related by Wendlandius to his own genus Cyphosperma.

- alias ex ostiolis suis farinam protrudentes, others from their own ostioles pushing out a dust (= spores).

- specimen suum in herb. Banks, servatum, errore quodam nomine Gronae repentis signatum, est Desmodium polystachyum, DC. (B&H), a specimen (his own) preserved in the Banks herbarium, designated by some error with the name of Grona repens, is Desmodium polystachyum DC.

- calyx 1/2 longitudinis sui fissus, calyx divided 1/2 of its own length.

- herbae aptae suae fecundare, herbs able to fertilize themselves (self-fertile).

- bracteae gynoeciales in apice non divisae vel bifidae usque minores quam 0.1 longitudinis sui, gynoecial bracts at the apex not divided or bifid to less than 0.1 of its (own) length.

- hepaticae amazonicae et andinae quas in itinere suo per tractus montium et fluviorum Americae aequinoctialis decerpsit R. Spruce, liverworts Amazoniana and Andean which R. Spruce in his (own) journey through the region of mountains and rivers of Equatorial America gathered (Stearn).

- calcar sepalo suo aequilongum vel paulo longius, spur its own sepal equalling or a little longer than (Stearn).

- paribus apicalibus pinnarum per longitudinem sui paene totam junctis, with the apical pairs of pinnae joined along almost the whole of their length joined.

NOTE: when translating, the English possessive pronoun (his, hers, its) may be used alone.

NOTE: sui generis "of its own kind/genus", ‘of its (his or her, their) own kind” that is, unique in its characteristics;

- ab omnibus aliis speciebus sui generis in paludibus habitanti differt, from all other species if its (own) genus by dwelling in swamps it differs.

- structura calycis interior nobis omnino ignota, sed stirps evidenter sui generis est (B&H), inner structure of the calyx completely unknown to us, but the plant evidently is of its own genus.

- Cyclopogon carinianus ab omnibus aliis speciebus sui generis foliis ellipticis vel lanceolatis differt, Cyclopogon carinianus differs from all the other species of its (own) genus by the elliptic or lanceolate leaves.

- [Cnidoscolus; Euphorbiaceae] glandulae summipetiolares destitutae, nisi si setae urticantes magnae suum locum occupantes eas fingunt (Casas), summipetiolar glands lacking [i.e. absent], except if the large stinging hairs stand for [i.e. represent] them occupying their own [i.e. exact] place.

NOTE: A species is ‘sui generis’ when a new genus is created at the same time to hold the new species, that is, when a new species has exceptional uniqueness at the time of classification, or publication, that a new genus is created for it, and of which the new species is the sole member of it. The genus is monotypic.