tubulosa

Tubulosa is a Latin-derived epithet used in the scientific names of many organisms to denote a tube-like or tubular feature. The adjective stems from tubulus, meaning a small tube, and its form tubulosa agrees with feminine nouns in gender. It is not a genus or a single taxon, but rather a descriptive descriptor that appears across a wide range of genera and groups.

In taxonomy, tubulosa is employed in various kingdoms, including plants, animals, and fungi, to flag a morphological characteristic such as tubular flowers, cylindrical or tube-shaped leaves, or other hollow or pipe-like structures. Because it describes form rather than a lineage, many unrelated species across different families may have tubulosa as their specific epithet.

Nomenclatural notes accompany its use. Since the specific epithet must agree in gender with the generic name, tubulosa is used with feminine-noun genera, while masculine and neuter genera use tubulosus or tubulosum, respectively. The epithet can appear in formal scientific names alongside the genus and the broader taxonomic classification, and in horticultural or historical literature it may also surface in cultivar contexts or in older taxonomic treatments.

See also: Latin adjectives in species names; tubuliform and related epithets; taxonomic nomenclature conventions.