scabrosum

Scabrosum is a Latin adjectival epithet used in the scientific names of various organisms to denote a rough or scabrous surface. The word derives from scaber, meaning rough or scabrous, and is commonly found in taxonomic descriptions to convey a tactile or textural characteristic of the species.

In taxonomy, scabrosum is not a taxon in itself but part of species names across different kingdoms. Because it describes texture, it frequently appears in notes about rough leaves or stems in plants, textured surfaces on seeds or fruits, macroscopic features of fungi, or the rough exoskeletons or integuments of animals. The same epithet can be found in unrelated genera, reflecting a descriptive rather than evolutionary relationship.

Grammatical agreement is a consideration in naming. Scabrosum is the neuter form and is used with neuter-gender Latin genus names. For masculine or feminine genera, the related forms scabrosus and scabrosa may be used, respectively, to agree in gender with the genus.

Historically, scabrosum has appeared in taxonomic literature from early modern to contemporary botany, mycology, and zoology. While it signals a surface texture, it does not indicate any phylogenetic affinity among the organisms bearing the epithet. Modern usage continues to rely on precise morphological descriptions to accompany such epithets.

See also: scabrous, scabrosus, scabrosa, Latin in biological nomenclature.