palustris

Palustris is a Latin adjective used as a specific epithet in the scientific names of many organisms to indicate an association with marshes or wetlands. It is not a taxon by itself; rather, it appears within binomials such as Carex palustris, commonly known as marsh sedge, and reflects habitat rather than taxonomic relationship. The epithet is applied across plants and animals, signaling habitat rather than ancestry.

Origin and form: from Latin palustris, palustr- meaning marsh or swamp, plus the suffix -is; the neuter form is palustre. In botanical names the epithet agrees in gender with the genus (palustris for masculine and feminine, palustre for neuter).

Habitat and distribution: species bearing palustris typically occur in marshes, swamps, peatlands, and other wetland environments. The use of palustris in a name signals a notable ecological association but does not imply a close evolutionary relationship among the taxa that share the epithet.

Related terms: palustrine is an ecological term used in wetland classification to describe marsh-associated environments. Palustris appears across a range of genera in both botany and zoology, illustrating how habitat descriptors are embedded in scientific names to convey ecological context.