A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Tergum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. tergo: the back of men or beasts; the upper aspect or side of a prostrate shoot; syn. dorsum, q.v.; the back of anything spread out horizontally, as land or water, i.e. the surface (Lewis & Short); the body of an animal; the covering of the back, the skin, hide, leather]; see frons, gen.sg. frontis (s.f.III), the front, face; see latus, gen. sg. lateris (s.n.III), the side;

- a (ab) latere, on or at the side or flank; a fronte, in front, before; a tergo, at the back, behind.

- foliorum superficies a tergo atque ab utroque latere pappillis ac pilis intertextis instructa, the surface of the leaves on the back and on each side provided with papillae and hairs intermixed.

- antheridia in tergo rami feminei (Steph.), antheridia on the back of the female branch.

- glumae concavae tergo rotundatae vel carinatae, glumes concave on the back rounded or keeled.

- glumis glabris, tergo carinatis, margine membranaceis, apice obtusis, with glumes glabrous, on the back carinate, on the margine membranaceous, at the apex obtuse.

tergispermus,-a,-um (adj.A): “bearing the seed-cases on the back of leaves; as in dorsiferous Ferns” (Lindley); see dorsifer,-fera,-ferum (adj.A).