Taxonomic history
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Elymus caput medusae in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 84 of Ray Society 1957 facsimile.
Today: The current name for this species is Taeniatherum caput-medusae L.
original Latin diagnosis
Elymus spiculis unifloris, involucris setaceis patentissimis.
English translation
Elymus with spikelets one-flowered; [and] with involucres setaceous [and] very spreading.
| Elymus | Elymus |
| with spikelets | spiculis - ablative plural of first declension feminine noun spicula, -ae |
| one-flowered; | unifloris - ablative plural feminine of group A adjective uniflorus, -a, -um; modifies spiculis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with involucres | involucris - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun involucrum, -i |
| setaceous | setaceis - ablative plural neuter of group A adjective setaceus, -a, -um; modifies involucris |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| very spreading. | patentissimis - ablative plural neuter of superlative degree of present active participle of second conjugation verb pateo, patere, patui, —; modifies involucris |