Species within a genus

ater, atra, = coal-black, lustreless-black, sable, dark;
(especially, dull black)
capillus, = the hair, the hair of the head; (while crinis is any hair).
(hair, hair’s width, 0.18mm)
atricapillus, = black-haired.
(with dark hairs – refers to the shiny black sepals)
(ld, BL, Co)

ater, atra, = coal-black, lustreless-black, sable, dark;
rubeo, rubrus, = to be red or ruddy.
rubens, = being red, red, reddish.
(an accurate description of the flower clour)
(ld, Co)

bis, bi-, = twice, twofold, having two-;
findo, fidi, fissum = to cleave, split, part, separate, divide; a cleft, slit, fissure.
(split-)
bifidus, bis-findo, = cleft or divided into two parts.
(divided; two-cleft to about halfway)
(ld, BL)

bis, bi-, = twice, twofold, having two-;
valva, valvae, = the leaf of a door, a folding-door; the leaves, folds, or valves of a door;
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
(two valved)
(refers to the resemblance of the median sepal to the valves of a bivalve mollusc (mussels, clams etc.))
(ld, BL, Co)

For Prof. Alfred A. Bodkin (1847-1930),** a British-born plant collector in South Africa who worked with Harry Bolus and accompanied him on collecting trips. He was a distinguished mathematician and was from 1881 to 1902 Professor of Mathematics at Bishop's, Cape Town.
(Ch)

After Harry Bolus F.L.S. (1834 - 1911),** English-born South African botanist, businessman, and founder of the Cape Town Bolus Herbarium, Fellow of the Linnean Society, and member and president of the South African Philosophical Society (later the Royal Society of South Africa). He bequeathed his library, his extensive herbarium and most of his fortune to the South African College for which he also founded a chair of botany;
-anus, = belonging to, connected with, pertaining to, used to form adjectives from nouns, particularly from geographical and personal names.
(Ch, BL)

brachys, = short, few, little;
ceras, = horn.
(with short spur)
(refers to the short spur)
(LS, BL, Co)

bractea, brattea, = a thin plate of metal, gold-leaf; thin layers of wood, veneers;
(bract)
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
bracteatus, = covered with gold-plate, gilt; shining only externally, gilded, delusive.
(having bracts)
(refers to the conspicuous bracts which bear the flowers)
(ld, BL, Co)

brevis, = short, little, of small extent; small, narrow; low; brief;
petalos, = spread out, unfolded, broad, flat.
petalon, = a leaf.
(in modern botany, petal)
(refers to the short petals)
(ld, LS, BL, Co)

caulis, = the stalk or stem of a plant;
-escens, = indicates process of becoming, hence not fully achieved resemblance.
(refers in this case to the leaves)
(ld, BL, Co)

cernuus, = with the face turned towards the earth, inclined forwards, stooping or bowing forwards.
(slightly drooping, nodding; said of a flower – inclining a little from the perpendicular, so that the apex is directed towards the horizon)
(possibly refers to the orientation of the lateral sepals)
(ld, BL, Co)

confercio, confertus, = to stuff or cram together, to press together; pressed together, pressed close, crowded, thick, dense.
(pressed close together, crowded, densely.)
(pressed close together – refers to the compact arrangement of flowers in the inflorescence)
(ld, BL, Co)

cornu, = a hard and generally crooked growth upon the head of many mammiferous animals;
-utus, = indicates possession.
cornutus, = horned.
(with horn-like process – probably refers to the spur)
(ld, BL, Co)

cylindrus, = a cylinder;
-icus, = indicates ‘belonging to’.
(cylindrical - refers to the inflorescence shape)
(ld, BL, Co)

densus, = thick, dense; thickly set with, covered with, full of;
flos, floris, = a blossom, flower.
(with densely packed flowers – refers to the compact inflorescence)
(ld, BL, Co)

fascio, = to envelop with bands, to swathe;
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
(clustered, grouped together)
(clustered together – refers to the densely arranged flowers)
(ld, BL, Co)

ferrum, = iron;
-ineus, = indicates material or colour or close resemblance.
ferrugineus, ferruginus, = of the colour of iron-rust, dark red, dusky, ferruginus.
(rusty, light brown with a little mixture of red)
(rusty, light brown with a little infusion of red – refers to the colour of the flowers)
(ld, BL, Co)

filum, fili-, = a thread;
cornu, = a hard and generally crooked growth upon the head of many mammiferous animals.
(possibly refers to the very slender lip)
(ld, Co)

forfex, = a pair of shears or scissors;
-icus, = indicates 'belonging to';
-arius, = indicates connection or possession.
(refers to the curious petal structre of this species)
(ld, BL, Co)

glans, = any acorn-shaped fruit;
(gland (secretary organ), swelling or appendage resembling a gland in appearance, nut (one-seeded dry indehiscent fruit with hard pericarp) borne in a cupule as an acorn))
-ulus, = diminutive;
-osus, = indicates abundance or full or marked development.
glandulosus, = full of kernels, glandulous.
(refers to glandular hairs covering the leaves)
(ld, BL, Co)

gramen, graminis, = grass;
folium,= a leaf.
(grass-leaved)
(grass-like leaves – refers to the slender leaves)
(ld, BL, Co)

For Russell Hallack (1824-1903),** British businessman born in Cambridge, amateur botanist and plant collector who settled in South Africa in 1843 and botanized around Port Elizabeth and who sent collections to Peter McOwan and William Henry Harvey.
(Ch)

For William Henry Harvey (1811-1866),**renowned Irish-born botanist, algologist and pioneer of South African systematic botany, Colonial Treasurer-General of the Cape Colony, Keeper of the herbarium at Trinity College, Dublin, professor of botany to the Royal Dublin Society and at Trinity College, Dublin, Fellow of the Linnean and Royal Societies;
-anus, = belonging to, connected with, pertaining to, used to form adjectives from nouns, particularly from geographical and personal names.
(Ch, BL)

hio, = to open, stand or be open, to gape.
hians, = gaping, open mouthed.
(refers to the wide-mouthed entrance of the hooded median sepal)
(ld, BL, Co)

in-, = in, into, for, contrary;
flexus, = a bending, turning, winding.
inflexus, = a bending, curving, inflexing.
(bent inwards)
(probably refers to the lip, which is bent at a 90° angle)
(BL, ld, Co)

linea, linia, = a linen thread, a string, line;
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
(refers to the striped configuration of the veins in the median sepal)
(ld, BL, Co)

lutlutum, = a plant used in dyeing yellow, yellow-weed, dyer’s weed, weld; a yellow colour, yellow;
-eus, = indicates material or colour or resemblance in quality.
luteus, = golden-yellow, saffron-yellow, orange-yellow.
(ld, BL)

mikros, = little, small; petty, mean, trivial insignificant;
petalos, = spread out, unfolded, broad, flat.
petalon, = a leaf.
(in modern botany, petal)
(refers to the minute flowers)
(LS, BL, Co)

neglego, neglectum, = to not heed, not trouble oneself about, not attend to, to slight, neglect, be regardless of, indifferent to.
neglectus, = neglected, slighted, disregarded, despised.
(neglected)
(a neglected plant – considering that it was quite common; it was overlooked and only named comparatively recently)
(neglected, poorly known, overlooked)
(ld, BL, LB, Co)

obliquus, oblicus, = sidelong, slanting, awry, oblique.
(when the degree of inequality of the two sides is slight; and when the margin points to the heavens, the apex to the horizon)
(possibly refers to the sharp bend in the lip tooth)

clava, = a knotty branch or stick, a staff, cudgel, club;
gero, = to bear about with one, to bear, carry, to wear, have.
claviger, = club-bearing.
(alluding to the tendency of this sub-species to possess a clavate spur = club-shaped, thickened at one end)
(ld, BL, Co)

obliquus, oblicus, = sidelong, slanting, awry, oblique.
(when the degree of inequality of the two sides is slight; and when the margin points to the heavens, the apex to the horizon)
(possibly refers to the sharp bend in the lip tooth)
(ld, BL, Co)

obtundo, obtudi, obtusus, = to blunt, weaken, make dull, deprive of strength; blunted, blunt, dull, weak, faint, powerless;
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
(blunt, obtuse, rounded)
(probably refers to the rounded structure of the spur or sepals)

hottentot, = the Hottentots Holland Mountains;
-icus, = indicates ‘belonging to’.
(refers to the distribution of this species which is along the Hottentots Holland Mountains)
(ld, BL, Co)

obtundo, obtudi, obtusus, = to blunt, weaken, make dull, deprive of strength; blunted, blunt, dull, weak, faint, powerless.
(blunt, obtuse, rounded)
(probably refers to the rounded structure of the spur or sepals)
(ld, BL, Co)

ops (ώψ), = the eye, face, countenance;
ophrys, = eyebrow;
-eus, = indicates 'possessed by' or belonging to.
(like the Mediteranean orchid genus, Ophrys)
(LS, Ox, BL, Co)

For Mr. Neville Stuart Pillans (1884-1964).**
(Ch)

purpura, = purple colour, purple;
-ascens, = indicates process of becoming, hence not fully achieved resemblance, often expressed by the termination ‘-ish’.
purpurasco, = to grow purple, become a purple colour.
(purplish not full purple – refers to the colour of the flowers)
(ld, BL, Co)

pygmaios, = about a foot long or tall; the Pigmies, a fabulous race of dwarfs on the upper Nile, said to have been attacked and destroyed by Cranes.
(pygmy, dwarf)
(refers to the diminutive stature of the plant)
(LS, BL, Co)

racemus, = the stalk of a cluster of grapes and similar plants;
(raceme)
-osus, = indicates abundance or full or marked development.
racemosus, = full of clusters, clustering.
(racemosus = full of clusters; but in botanical terminology used for a simple spike-like inflorescence (raceme, thus racemose) – refers to the inflorescence structure)
(ld, BL, Co)

rete, = a net, snare;
-ulus, = diminutive;
reticulum, = a little net, a cloth made like a net, a network-bag for carrying or keepinganything in;
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
(refers to the bract’s net-like venation, which is conspicuous in dry specimens)
(ld, BL, Co)

For Louis-Claude Marie Richard (1754 – 1821), the author of the genus Liparis, or his son Achille Richard (1794 – 1852);**
-anus, = belonging to, connected with, pertaining to, used to form adjectives from nouns, particularly from geographical and personal names.
(Co, BL)

rufus, = red, reddish;
-escens, = indicates process of becoming, hence not fully achieved resemblance, often expressed by the termination '-ish'.
(becoming, thus almost red - refers to the colour of the median sepal)
(ld, BL, Co)

sabulo, = coarse sand, gravel;
-osus, = indicates abundance or full or marked development.
sabulosus, = full of sand, sandy, gravelly.
(sandy, growing in sandy places)
(growing in sandy places)
(ld, BL, Co)

tenuis, thin, slight, slender, slim, meagre, lean; simple, plain, unadorned;
(thin, fine, slender)
cornu, = a hard and generally crooked growth upon the head of many mammiferous animals.
(refers to the narrow spurs)
(ld, BL, Co)

tenuis, = thin, slight, slender, slim, meagre, lean; simple, plain, unadorned;
(thin, fine, slender)
folium, = a leaf.
(possibly refers to the slender leaves in this species)
(ld, BL, Co)

tenuis, = thin, slight, slender, slim, meagre, lean; simple, plain, unadorned.
(thin, fine, slender)
(refers to the slender ‘grass-like’ leaves)
(ld, BL, Co)

tri-, = three times, thrice;
petalos, = spreadout, unfolded, broad, flat;
petalon, = a leaf;
(in modern botany, petal)
-oides, = indicates resemblance.
(refers to its appearing to have three petals)
(LS, BL, Co)

uncinus, = a hook, barb;
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
uncinatus, = furnished with hooks or tenters, barbed.
(hooked, barbed – refers to the spur, which is curved and swollen at the tip)
(ld, BL, Co)

unus, = one, alone, only, sole, single;
flos, floris, = a blossom, flower.
(single-flowered)
(refers to the type plant, which posses only one flower)
(ld, BL, Co)

vagina, = a scabbard, sheath; the covering, sheath, holder of any thing; the sheath of an ear of grain, the hull, husk;
(in botany occasionally the petiole embraces the branch from which it springs, and in such cases is said to be sheathing; and is even called a sheath or vagina as in grasses)
-atus, = indicates possession or likeness.
(sheathed)
(probably refers to the constricted entrance of the hooded median sepal)
(ld, Ox, BL, Co)

venus, = qualities that excite love, loveliness, attractiveness, beauty, grace, elegance, charms;
-a, -eus, = indicates material or colour or resemblance in quality.
venustus, = lovely, comely, pleasing, winning, agreeable, graceful, beautiful, elegant.
(beautiful and graceful)
(charming, lovely, beautiful and graceful – refers to the flowers)
(ld, BL, Co)