Spicis

Spicis is the Latin dative and ablative plural form of the noun spica, meaning “to/for the spikes” and “by/with the spikes” respectively. In botanical contexts, spica denotes a spike or spike-like inflorescence, where flowers are densely arranged along a central axis. The form spicis appears primarily in Latin phrases rather than as an independent English term.

In botanical Latin, spica refers to a spike, the inflorescence type found in many grasses and other plants. Phrases such as in spicis (in the spikes) or a spicis (from the spikes) illustrate how spicis functions as a grammatical inflection within descriptions of plant morphology. Modern English botanical writing typically renders the concept as “in spikes” or simply describes the inflorescence without relying on the Latin case form.

Spicis is not commonly used as a standalone scientific term in contemporary English-language botany. It is encountered chiefly in historical texts or in formal Latin phrases embedded within descriptions. For those studying botanical Latin, it is helpful to recognize spica as the root word and spicis as part of the standard first-declension noun paradigm, alongside other forms such as spicae (nominative plural) and spicam (accusative singular).

See also: Spica (botany), Botanical Latin, Latin grammar, inflorescence types.