Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Scirpus capillaris in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 49.
today: The current name for this species is Bulbostylus capillaris (L.) C. B. Clarke
original Latin diagnosis
Scirpus culmo nudo capillari, spicis pedunculatis sessilibusque lateralibus.
English translation
Scirpus with the culm bare [and] hair-like; [and] with spikes pedunculate and sessile [and] lateral.
| Scirpus | Scirpus |
| with the culm | culmo - ablative singular of second declension masculine noun culmus, -i |
| bare | nudo - ablative singular masculine of group A adjective nudus, -a, -um; modifies culmo |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| hair-like; | capillari - ablative singular masculine of group B adjective capillaris, -is, -e; modifies culmo |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with spikes | spicis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun spica, -ae |
| pedunculate | pedunculatis - ablative plural feminine of group A adjective pedunculatus, -a, -um; modifies spicis |
| and sessile | sessilibusque - sessilibus (ablative plural feminine) + -que (and); modifies spicis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| lateral. | lateralibus - ablative plural feminine of group B adjective lateralis, -is, -e; modifies spicis |