Most common epithets
Epithets can be descriptive or honorific. This is a list of the 100 most common specific epithets in algae, brief meanings, the type of epithet, the number of taxa that use this epithet ("No.") , and an example (mostly seaweeds). It is a tribute to the beauty of many algae that the most common epithet is "elegans" (elegant). Mostly feminine versions are given for adjectives as most genera of Latin origin are feminine.
Epithet | Meaning | Type | No. | Example |
elegans | elegant | Adjective | 517 | Rhodophysema elegans (P.Crouan & H.Crouan ex J.Agardh) P.S.Dixon |
gracilis | thin, slender | Adjective | 502 | Gracilaria gracilis (Stackhouse) Steentoft, L.M.Irvine & Farnham |
simplex | simple, undivided, unbranched, of one piece or series, not consisting of several distinct parts | Adjective | 327 | Feldmannia simplex (P.Crouan & H.Crouan) Hamel |
ovalis | oval, elliptical, i.e., broadest at the middle, the sides curved and length:breadth generally 2:1 | Adjective | 301 | Nothogenia ovalis (Suhr) P.G.Parkinson |
australis | south, southern | Adjective | 294 | Helminthocladia australis Harvey |
tenuis | thin, fine, slender | Adjective | 293 | Gymnogongrus tenuis J.Agardh |
elongata | elongated | Adjective | 282 | Himanthalia elongata (Linnaeus) S.F.Gray |
vulgaris | common, general, ordinary | Adjective | 255 | Ozothallia vulgaris Decaisne & Thuret |
viridis | green | Adjective | 254 | Desmarestia viridis (O.F.Müller) J.V.Lamouroux |
lanceolata | lance-shaped | Adjective | 251 | Chondria lanceolata Harvey |
intermedia | intermediate | Adjective | 247 | Vaucheria intermedia Nordstedt |
minuta | very small; minute | Adjective | 244 | Drachiella minuta (Kylin) Maggs & Hommersand |
gracile | thin, slender | Adjective | 242 | Acrochaetium gracile Børgesen |
obtusa | obtuse, blunt | Adjective | 211 | Laurencia obtusa (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux |
granulata | granulate | Adjective | 208 | Cystoseira granulata C.Agardh |
minor | smaller, inferior, lesser | Adjective | 201 | Myriactula minor (Farlow) W.R.Taylor |
linearis | linear | Adjective | 200 | Porphyra linearis Greville |
elliptica | elliptic, elliptical | Adjective | 194 | Pachymeniopsis elliptica (Holmes) Yamada ex Kawabata |
indica | pertaining to India | Adjective | 190 | Porphyra indica V.Krishnamurthy & M.Baluswami |
japonica | pertaining to Japan | Adjective | 188 | Laminaria japonica Areschoug |
pusilla | very small | Adjective | 179 | Ralfsia pusilla (Strömfelt) Foslie |
irregularis | irregular | Adjective | 178 | Erythrocladia irregularis Rosenvinge |
affinis | neighbouring, allied to, akin to | Adjective | 173 | Carpopeltis affinis (Harvey) Okamura |
minima | very little, very least | Adjective | 172 | Blidingia minima (Nägeli ex Kützing) Kylin |
marina | growing in the sea | Adjective | 169 | Derbesia marina (Lyngbye) Solier |
americana | of or pertaining to America | Adjective | 167 | Acrochaetium americana (C.-C.Jao) Papenfuss |
compressa | flattened, usually laterally | Adjective | 163 | Enteromorpha compressa (Linnaeus) Nees |
anceps | two-edged | Adjective | 160 | Amphiroa anceps (Lamarck) Decaisne |
truncata | truncate, i.e., ending very abruptly as if cut straight across | Adjective | 158 | Osmundea truncata (Kützing) K.W.Nam & Maggs |
borealis | north, northern | Adjective | 157 | Rhodopeltis borealis Yamada |
variabilis | variable | Adjective | 154 | Thamniochloris variabilis P.J.L.Dangeard |
mirabilis | to be wondered at, wonderful, marvellous, extraordinary, admirable | Adjective | 150 | Harveyella mirabilis (Reinsch) F.Schmitz & Reinke |
reticulata | reticulate, netted, marked with a network | Adjective | 149 | Sphacelaria reticulata Lyngbye |
undulata | wavy | Adjective | 148 | Laurencia undulata Yamada |
intestinalis | relating to or found in the intestines | Adjective | 146 | Enteromorpha intestinalis (Linnaeus) Nees |
dichotoma | dichotomous, having divisions always in pairs | Adjective | 145 | Dictyota dichotoma (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux |
antarctica | of or pertaining to the Antarctic | Adjective | 143 | Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot |
pacifica | pertaining to the Pacific Ocean | Adjective | 140 | Jania pacifica Areschoug |
parvula | very small | Adjective A | 138 | Champia parvula (C.Agardh) Harvey |
angusta | narrow | Adjective | 137 | Prionitis angusta (Okamura) Okamura |
subtilis | fine, thin, delicate, or precise | Adjective | 136 | Gracilaria subtilis (B.M.Xia & I.A.Abbott) B.M.Xia & I.A.Abbott |
tenuissima | very fine | Adjective | 135 | Punctaria tenuissima (C.Agardh) Greville |
ventricosa | swollen, especially on one side | Adjective | 134 | Chrysymenia ventricosa (J.V.Lamouroux) J.Agardh |
ornata | furnished, equipped, embellished, adorned | Adjective | 133 | Schimmelmannia ornata Schousboe ex Kützing |
acuta | acute, pointed; i.e. narrowing gradually and making an angle of less than 90° | Adjective | 132 | Draparnaldia acuta (C.Agardh) Kützing |
ovata | ovate | Adjective | 131 | Hincksia ovata (Kjellman) P.C.Silva |
delicatula | very delicate | Adjective | 130 | Rhodymenia delicatula P.J.L.Dangeard |
clavata | clavate | Adjective | 129 | Bonnemaisonia clavata Hamel |
littoralis | pertaining to the shore | Adjective | 128 | Pylaiella littoralis (Linnaeus) Kjellman |
verrucosum | warty | Adjective | 125 | Hydrolithon verrucosum V.Krishnamurthy & Jayagopal |
elongatum | elongated | Adjective | 124 | Ceramium elongatum (Hudson) Roth |
dubia | doubtful | Adjective | 123 | Cystoseira dubia Valiante |
prolifera | producing offsets, bearing progeny as offshoots | Adjective | 122 | Enteromorpha prolifera (O.F.Müller) J.Agardh |
pulchra | beautiful, fair, pretty | Adjective | 121 | Delisea pulchra (Greville) Montagne |
intermedium | intermediate | Adjective | 120 | Lithothamnion intermedium Kjellman |
spiralis | spiral | Adjective | 119 | Fucus spiralis Linnaeus |
pinnata | with leaflets arranged on each side of a common petiole | Adjective | 118 | Rodriguezella pinnata (Kützing) F.Schmitz ex Falkenberg |
glomerata | clustered in a round mass | Adjective | 116 | Cladophora glomerata (Linnaeus) Kützing |
filiformis | thread-like | Adjective | 115 | Petalonia filiformis (Batters) Kuntze |
virescens | becoming green | Participle | 114 | Eudesme virescens (Carmichael ex Berkeley) J.Agardh |
capensis | pertaining to a cape, generally the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa | Adjective | 113 | Porphyra capensis Kützing |
parvulum | very small | Adjective | 112 | Acrochaetium parvulum (Kylin) Hoyt |
repens | creeping, prostrate and rooting | Adjective | 111 | Acrochaete repens Pringsheim |
clathrata | latticed or pierced with openings like a grating or trellis | Adjective | 110 | Enteromorpha clathrata (Roth) Greville |
costata | ribbed, having one or more primary veins or ridges | Adjective | 109 | Carpomitra costata (Stackhouse) Batters |
nana | dwarf | Adjective | 108 | Sphacelaria nana Nägeli ex Kützing |
alata | winged | Adjective | 107 | Membranoptera alata (Hudson) Stackhouse |
tenue | thin, fine, slender | Adjective | 105 | Anotrichium tenue (C.Agardh) Nägeli |
globosa | round like a ball, globose, spherical | Adjective | 104 | Haplospora globosa Kjellman |
paradoxa | paradoxical | Adjective | 103 | Feldmannia paradoxa (Montagne) Hamel |
flexuosa | zigzag, bent alternately in opposite directions | Adjective | 102 | Enteromorpha flexuosa (Wulfen) J.Agardh |
laeve | smooth, free from uneveness, hairs or roughness | Adjective | 101 | Leptophytum laeve Adey |
armata | equipped, armed | Adjective | 100 | Asparagopsis armata Harvey |
pusillum | very small | Adjective | 99 | Gelidium pusillum (Stackhouse) Le Jolis |
confervoides | resembling the genus Conferva | Compound | 98 | Rhodomela confervoides (Hudson) P.C.Silva |
tenera | soft, delicate | Adjective | 97 | Porphyra tenera Kjellman |
violacea | violet, refers to the blue-red colours nearer blue | Adjective | 96 | Rhodella violacea (Kornmann) Wehrmeyer |
pellucida | pellucid, translucent but not hyaline | Adjective | 95 | Cladophora pellucida (Hudson) Kützing |
arctica | of or pertaining to the Arctic | Adjective | 94 | Polysiphonia arctica J.Agardh |
duplex | double | Adjective | 93 | Bryopsis duplex De Notaris |
undulatum | wavy | Adjective | 92 | Desmotrichum undulatum (J.Agardh) Reinke |
paludosa | boggy, marshy | Adjective | 91 | Trachelomonas paludosa Skvortsov |
coronata | crowned | Adjective | 90 | Vaucheria coronata Nordstedt |
gigantea | huge | Adjective | 89 | Ulva gigantea (Kützing) Bliding |
aculeata | prickly, spine-like | Adjective | 88 | Desmarestia aculeata (Linnaeus) J.V.Lamouroux |
plumosa | feathery | Adjective | 87 | Bryopsis plumosa (Hudson) C.Agardh |
curvata | curved | Adjective | 86 | Strepsithalia curvata Sauvageau |
moniliforme | moniliform, cylindrical but contracted at regular intervals like a string of beads | Adjective | 85 | Acrochaetium moniliforme (Rosenvinge) Børgesen |
moniliformis | moniliform, cylindrical but contracted at regular intervals like a string of beads | Adjective | 84 | Chaetosiphon moniliformis Huber |
angustata | narrowed | Participle | 83 | Laminaria angustata Kjellman |
fusca | a sombre brown, but often used to indicate darkness of colour | Adjective | 82 | Sphacelaria fusca (Hudson) S.F.Gray |
divaricata | divaricate, spreading at a wide angle | Adjective | 81 | Helminthora divaricata (C.Agardh) J.Agardh |
tenuissimum | very fine | Adjective | 80 | Streblonema tenuissimum Hauck |
spectabilis | spectacular | Adjective | 79 | Drachiella spectabilis J.Ernst & Feldmann |
dentata | toothed, usually with sharp teeth pointing outwards | Adjective | 78 | Odonthalia dentata (Linnaeus) Lyngbye |
nigrescens | becoming black | Participle | 77 | Erythrotrichia nigrescens P.J.L.Dangeard |
rupestris | rocky, rock-dwelling | Adjective | 76 | Cladophora rupestris (Linnaeus) Kützing |
rigida | rigid | Adjective | 75 | Ulva rigida C.Agardh |
mexicana | pertaining to Mexico | Adjective | 74 | Caulerpa mexicana Sonder ex Kützing |