palustre

Palustre is a Latin adjective meaning marshy or of marshes. It is used in scientific contexts to indicate a habitat or characteristic associated with wetlands, particularly marshes.

In Latin grammar, palustre is the neuter singular form of the adjective palustris. The masculine and feminine form is palustris, while the neuter form palustre appears when the species epithet is declined to match a neuter genus. As a result, palustre may appear in taxonomic names as the habitat-related epithet, though palustris is more commonly encountered in many genera.

In modern scientific use, palustre is most commonly encountered within Latin phrases and in taxonomic nomenclature, where it signals a marshy habitat or association. In English-language ecology, the closely related term palustrine is the standard technical designation for inland marshy wetlands, particularly in classifications of wetland types such as the Cowardin system. Thus palustre and palustris are more often seen in Latin or historical texts, while palustrine is preferred in contemporary English-language ecological writing.

Beyond taxonomy, the term appears in multilingual botanical and zoological literature, including French, where palustre means marshy. Its use tends to emphasize historical or taxonomic phrasing rather than everyday language.

See also: palustrine, palustris, marsh, wetlands, wetland ecology.