pensylvanica

Pensylvanica is a Latin specific epithet used in botanical nomenclature to denote a relation to Pennsylvania. In binomial names, the epithet pensylvanica is assigned to species described from Pennsylvania or otherwise associated with that region.

The epithet is gender-sensitive: it matches the gender of the genus name, so it appears as pensylvanica with feminine genera (for example Glyceria pensylvanica) and as pensylvanicus or pensylvanicum with masculine or neuter genera (for example Penstemon pensylvanicus). The epithet does not refer to a single organism; it appears in multiple plant taxa across different genera.

As a geographical epithet, pensylvanica does not indicate a uniform distribution but rather historical association with Pennsylvania. It is found in various North American taxa and reflects where the species was first described or commonly identified by early botanists.

Representative species include Glyceria pensylvanica, commonly known as Pennsylvania manna grass, a perennial grass native to eastern and central North America; and Carex pensylvanica, commonly called Pennsylvania sedge, a shade-tolerant sedge of eastern North America. The presence of pensylvanica in a name may change with taxonomic revisions, so current databases should be consulted for accepted names and synonyms.