racemosa

Racemosa is a botanical term used as a specific epithet in the scientific names of many plant species. It is derived from the Latin racemosus (masc), racemosa (fem), or racemosum (neut), meaning bearing racemes or having a racemose inflorescence. The epithet itself does not designate a single taxon; rather, it describes a common morphological trait that may appear in species across different genera.

In botanical nomenclature, racemes are a type of inflorescence in which flowers are attached by short stalks (pedicels) along a central axis. When a species is described as racemosa, this trait is often a prominent or characteristic feature of its flowers. The ending of the epithet agrees with the gender of the genus name, so racemosa appears with feminine genera, while racemosus or racemosum would be used with masculine or neuter genera, respectively.

Racemosa is widely used across diverse plant families, and its occurrence signals a racemose floral arrangement rather than indicating close relatedness among the species. One well-known example is Aralia racemosa, commonly called American spikenard, in the family Araliaceae. The epithet may also appear in historical synonyms or in reclassified taxa as nomenclature changes over time.

See also: raceme; botanical nomenclature; Latin grammar in species epithets.