coccineum

Coccineum is a Latin adjective used in biological nomenclature as a color descriptor. It is the neuter form of coccineus, meaning scarlet or vivid red. In taxonomy, coccineum functions within the Latin binomial or trinomial names of organisms to indicate red coloration, most commonly appearing in plant species epithets but also found in zoological and mycological names. It does not designate a taxon or rank by itself; rather, it conveys a characteristic observed by the taxonomist who described the species.

The form coccineum is chosen to agree with the gender of the genus name. In botanical contexts, related forms such as coccineus or coccinea follow the grammatical rules of Latin as applied to masculine or feminine genera. This gender agreement means that coccineum appears specifically with neuter-gender genera or when the epithet is treated in a neuter sense within a given name.

In practice, coccineum signals that the organism possesses red or scarlet features, such as flowers, fruit, or other coloration. It is one of many color-based epithets used in scientific naming to communicate a distinguishing trait of the species at the time of its description. While the epithet is widely used across taxa, it does not provide any taxonomic relation beyond the descriptive color attribute and is governed by the same nomenclatural rules as other species names.

Coccineum may also appear in horticultural contexts as part of cultivar or variety names that evoke red coloration in ornamental plants.