sanguinea

Sanguinea is a Latin adjective used in biological nomenclature to denote blood-red coloration. The term comes from sanguineus, meaning “blood-like,” with feminine sanguinea, masculine sanguineus, and neuter sanguineum, reflecting the gender of the genus name it accompanies.

In taxonomy, sanguinea is commonly employed as a specific epithet across plants, fungi, and animals to describe red or reddish traits, such as flower color, fruit pigmentation, or body markings. Because it is an epithet rather than a standalone taxon, there is no single taxon universally known as sanguinea; the same epithet appears in many unrelated species.

Usage notes: The epithet is dependent on the genus name and is not indicative of close evolutionary relationship. To identify an organism correctly, the full binomial name (genus plus epithet) must be provided. The form of the epithet varies with the genus gender, yielding sanguinea, sanguineus, or sanguineum as appropriate.

In broader context, sanguinea serves as a descriptive Latin term rather than a taxonomic group, illustrating how color descriptors are reused across diverse lineages. Related terms include sanguine (the color or mood term) and other gendered Latin epithets used in taxonomy, such as sanguineus or sanguineum, depending on the genus.