fruticosa

Fruticosa is a Latin adjectival epithet used in the scientific names of many plants to indicate a shrubby or shrub-like growth habit. In botanical Latin, adjectives agree in gender with the genus name; fruticosa is the feminine form (fruticosus for masculine, fruticosum for neuter). The root is derived from frutex, meaning shrub or bush.

As a descriptive epithet, fruticosa does not denote a single taxon. It appears across a range of genera and families, applied to species whose habit is more woody or shrubby than herbaceous. Because it is a habit-based descriptor, different fruticosa taxa are otherwise unrelated and may occupy diverse ecological regions.

A well-known example is Salvia fruticosa, commonly referred to as Greek sage, a Mediterranean shrub valued in horticulture for its aromatic foliage and flowers. The epithet is also found in other plant groups, reflecting the widespread use of the term to convey shrub-like growth.

In taxonomy, names containing fruticosa can change as classifications are updated, and some names may become synonyms of other taxa. Therefore, taxonomic references and databases should be consulted for current status. Fruticosa, as an epithet, helps researchers and horticulturists communicate a plant’s growth form when the exact identity of a species may vary by region or taxonomic treatment.