Speltoides

Speltoides is a Latin adjectival epithet used in botanical nomenclature to denote resemblance to spelt (Triticum spelta). The term derives from spelta, spelt, with the suffix -oides meaning "resembling" or "like." In practice, speltoides is not a taxon on its own, but part of species names across various genera, particularly in grasses (family Poaceae).

One of the best-known uses is Aegilops speltoides, the wild goatgrass. This species is an annual grass native to southeastern Europe and western Asia and belongs to the same tribe as wheat. It is frequently cited in agronomic and genetic studies as a close relative of cultivated wheat and as a source of genetic variation for breeding.

Because the epithet signals resemblance to spelt, other species in grasses may also bear speltoides in their binomials, though Ae. speltoides remains the most prominent example.

See also Spelt, Triticum spelta.