Roots: C
Back to Index
- caes-
- referring to the color blue (caesia)
- caespi-
- tufted, growing in a clump (cespitosus)
- caffr-
- referring to a region of S. Africa
- cal-
- beautiful (calophylla = beautiful leaf)
- calabri-
- referring to S. Italy (calabricus)
- calam-
- referring to a reed (calamifolia / calamus)
- calath-
- referring to a basket (Calathea)
- calcarat-
- referring to spurs (calcaratus)
- calcare-
- referring to lime (calcareus)
- calceol-
- referring to slipper (shape) (calceolatus)
- callos-
- thick, calloused (callosum)
- calyc-
- referring to a flower's calyx (calycina)
- calypt-
- referring to a covering (Euphoria = carried well)
- cambr-
- referring to Wales
- campan-
- referring to a bell (Campanula)
(campanulatum)
- campestr-
- referring to fields (campestris)
- canal-
- referring to lines, grooves (canaliculatus)
- canariensis
- referring to the Canary Islands - native to
- candi-
- hoary, white (candicans / candida)
- cantabr-
- referring to a part of Spain (cantabrius)
- cana
- referring to the color white or gray (cana)
- canescens
- gray (or white) and somewhat hairy
- capens-
- referring to the Cape of Good Hope (or ANY cape region)
(capensis / capense)
- capill-
- referring to a hair, thread (capillarius / capillare /
capilliformis = formed like a hair /
capillipes+ = hair-like foot/stalk)
- capit-
- referring to the head (usually to the flower cluster)
(capitatum)
- cappadoc-
- referring to a part of Eastern Europe and Western Asia
(cappadocicum)
- capr-
- referring to a goat (capricornis = goat's horn /
pes-caprae = foot + goat / caprea)
- capreol-
- twining, twisting (Bignonia capreolatus)
- caput
- a head (caput-medusae = Medusa's head)
- card-
- referring to a heart (Cardiospermum = heart seed)
- -card(...)
- referring to a heart (Anacardium, the cashew genus,
referring to the heart-shaped fruit)
- caric-
- referring to a part of Asia Minor (carica / Ficus carica =
the common fig)
- carin-
- referring to a keel (carinata)
- carn-
- referring to flesh (usually the color) (carnea incarnata
/ carnosa)
- carolin-
- referring to the Carolinas (caroliniensis) OR in honor
of the name Charles or Carol)
- -carp(...)
- referring to a fruit (megacarpus = big fruited /
macrocarpon = large fruit)
- carpath-
- referring to the Carpathian Mts. Region of Europe
- cartilag-
- referring to cartilege (cartilagineum)
- cary-
- referring to a nut (Caryota, the fishtail palm genus)
- cathart-
- cathartic (cathartica)
- cathay-
- referring to China (cathayensis)
- caud-
- referring to a tail (caudatus)
- caul-
- referring to a stem (cauliflorus = bearing flowers on
the stem / caulescens)
- -caul(...)
- referring to a stem, trunk (albicaulis = white-stemmed)
- cep-
- referring to a head (Cephalanthus = flowers in a head /
- -cep(...)
- referring to a head (multiceps = many-headed)
- cer-
- referring to wax (cerifera = wax-bearing; the genus
Cereus, because of the wax-candle body shapes of
most of the species / cerefolium = wax-leaved)
- cera-
- referring to a horn (ceratiformis = in the form of a
horn / platyceras = broad/flat horn)
- ceras-
- referring to a cherry (cherry-like) (laurocerasus =
specific name of the Cherrylaurel, the genus being
Prunus (ancient Latin for the plum))
- cerc-
- referring to a tail (Cercocarpus = tailed fruit, the
Mountain Mahogany genus, in the Rose family, whose
fruit (hips) DO have little tails)
- cernu-
- bending, drooping (cernuus)
- ceylan-
- referring to Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
- chaen-
- open, split (Chaenomeles = split fruit)
- chaet-
- referring to a hair or bristle (chaetophylla =
bristle-like leaves)
- chalcedon-
- referring to a part of Asia Minor, including Greece and
Turkey
- chamae-
- dwarf, low (Chamaedorea = dwarf gift, a palm genus, refer-
ring to the fact that most species are of short
stature and, therefore, their fruit ((the gift))
is found at relatively low heights)
- cheil-/ chil-
- referring to a lip or margin (Chilopsis = like a lip,
referring to the flaring, trumpet-shaped flowers)
(Cheilanthes = lip + flower)
- chen-
- referring to a goose (Chenopodium = goose + foot)
- -chi(...)
- referring to snow (Hedychium = sweet snow referring to
the fragrant white flowers of this member of the
ginger family)
- chinensis
- referring to China
- chit-
- referring to a covering, a cloak (Rhodochiton = rosy
covering)
- -chlamy(...)
- referring to clothes (chlamydea = clothed, covered)
- chlor-
- referring to the color green (chloranthus = green-
flowered)
- chrys-
- yellow, golden (Chrysanthemum = golden flower)
(chrysocoma = golden hair)
- -cid(...)
- referring to the act (or art) of killing (Piscidea =
fish + kill, the Fish Poison Tree)
- cili-
- ciliate, hairy (ciliatus)
- cinct-
- girded, girdled (cinctus)
- ciner-
- referring to ashes (ash-colored) (Cineraria refers to the
ash-colored leaves)
- cinnabar-
- referring to cinnabar, a reddish mineral (cinnabarinus)
- circin-
- coiled (circinnatus)
- cirrh-
- referring to a thread, a tendril (Cirrhopetalum, an
orchid, = tendril-like petals)
- ciss-
- referring to an ivy (Cissus)
- citr-
- referring to citrus (citrifolia = leaves having a
citrus-like odor / citrinum)
- clad-
- referring to a branch (Cladanthus = branch + flower)
- clav-
- referring to a club (clavatus)
- cleist- / cleis-
- closed (Cleisostoma = closed mouth, referring to the
flower shape / Cleistocactus = closed + cactus)
- clin-
- inclined (Clinostigma = inclined stigma)
- clyt-
- beautiful, marvelous (Clytostoma = beautiful mouth, re-
ferring to the flaring, trumpet-shaped flowers of
this genus)
- cocc-
- referring to a seed or berry (coccifera = bearing berries
/ Chiococca = snow berry)
- coccin-
- red (coccineus)
- cochl-
- referring to a spoon, a spade (Cochlearia, referring to
leaf shape) (cochlearis)
- cochli-
- referring to a spiral (Cochliostema = spiral stamens)
- coco-
- referring to a monkey (fr. Portuguese) (Cocos nucifera =
the coconut palm, whose nut (fruit) with its three
eyes looks to some like a monkey's face -
nucifera = nut-bearing)
- -codon
- referring to a bell (Platycodon = broad bell-shaped)
- coel-
- hollow (Coelogyne = hollow female part)
- coelest-
- referring to the sky, blue (coelestina)
- caerul-
- bluish (cerulea as in Passiflora caerulea, the mostly
blue-flowered Passion Vine / caerulescens /
caeruleus)
- caes-
- referring to the color blue-gray (caesium)
- caespitos-
- tufted, clumped (caespitosus)
- collin-
- referring to a hill (habitat) (collinus)
- columb-
- referring to a dove (columbaria)
- com- -com(...)
- referring to a hair (Acrocomia = top + hair, referring to
the palms viewed from a distance) (comosus)
- commun-
- common (communis)
- commut-
- referring to change, changeable (commutatus)
- con-
- with (having) (concolor)
- confert-
- crowded (confertifolia = crowded leaves)
- coni-
- referring to a cone (coniferus)
- conjug-
- joined together (conjugatus)
- conoid-
- cone-like (conoideus)
- contort-
- twisted, contorted (contortus)
- coral-
- coral, red (corallinus)
- cord-
- referring to a heart (cordifolia = heart-shaped leaf)
- core-
- referring to an insect (Coreopsis = like a bug)
- cori-
- referring to leather (coriaceus)
- corn-
- referring to a horn (tereticornis = cylindrical-
horned / cornuta)
- coron-
- referring to a crown (coronata coronaria)
- cors-
- referring to Corsica (corsicus)
- cort-
- referring to bark (corticosa / excorticata = off + bark,
referring to exfoliating bark)
- corusc-
- referring to vibration, shaking
- corymb-
- referring to a corymb, a broad, + or - flat-topped flower
cluster (corymbosus)
- coryn-
- referring to a club (shape) (corynocalyx =
club-shaped calyx)
- coryph-
- referring to the top (apex) of an entity (Corypha, a palm
genus whose immense members produce flowers only
once, in a huge panicle at the very tip of the
trunk, and then the tree dies)
- corys-
- referring to a helmet (Corysanthus)
- cost-
- referring to ribs (costatus)
- cotyl-
- referring to a cup (Cotyledon, a genus of succulents
whose leaves are, in general, concave)
- -cotyl(...)
- referring to a cup
- crass-
- thick (Crassulaceae, a whole family of succulent (thick-
stemmed) plants, which includes the genus Crassula)
(crassifolia = thick-leaved)
- cren-
- scalloped, crenulate (crenulatum)
- crepid-
- referring to a sandal (crepidatum)
- crepit-
- referring to rattles (crepitans)
- crepusc-
- referring to twilight (crepuscularia)
- cret-
- referring to chalk or the island of Crete
- crinit-
- hairy (crinitum)
- crisp-
- curled, crinkled (crispus)
- crist-
- referring to a crest (cristata crista-galli = crest of a
cock / cock's comb)
- croc-
- referring to the crocus (yellow) (crocata / crocea /)
- crotal-
- referring to rattles (Crotalaria, a papilionaceus genus
whose dry seed pods are like castanets)
- cruc-
- referring to a cross (Cruciferae, a genus of plants, includ-
many veggies, the petals of whose
flowers are so evenly distributed as
to form a cross)
- cruent-
- referring to blood (cruenta)
- crypt-
- hidden, not obvious (cryptanthus = hidden flower)
- cucul-
- referring to a hood (cucullatus)
- cultr-
- referring to a knife (shape) (cultratus / cultratus)
- cune-
- referring to a wedge (shaped) (cuneiformis)
- cupr-
- referring to copper (color) (cuprea)
- cupress-
- referring to a cypress (cupressoides-like)
- cuspid-
- referring to a cusp or point (cuspidata)
- cyan-
- referring to the color blue (cyaneus)
- cyath-
- referring to a cup (cyathiforme = cup-shaped /
cyathiphorum = cup-bearing)
- cycl-
- referring to a circle (Cyclanthera = circle of anthers)
- cycn- / cygn- / cyn-
- referring to a swan (cygniformis / Polycynis = many
swans, referring to the flowers of this genus of
orchids)
- cyl-
- referring to a cylinder (cylindriata)
- cymb-
- referring to a boat (shape) (cymbiformis)
- cyn-
- referring to a dog (Cynoglossum = dog's tongue)
- cym-
- referring to a cyme (a broad, flat-topped flower cluster)
(cymosa)
- cypho-
- referring to a hump, a tumor, a wart
- cypr-
- referring to copper (cypreus) - or a slipper (Cypr-
ipedium, the Lady-Slipper genus of orchids)
- cyrt-
- referring to a curve (Cyrtostachys = a curved spike (of
flowers))
- cyst-
- referring to a cyst or bladder (Cystacanthus = bladder +
thorn)
Back to Index
Last updated on 10/14/94