Tristagma
|tri-stag-ma|
/trɪˈstæɡmə/
three-stigma (botanical)
Etymology
'Tristagma' originates from New Latin, specifically formed from Greek elements: the prefix 'tri-' (from Greek 'treis') meaning 'three' and 'stagma' (from Greek 'stigma') meaning 'a mark' or 'stigma (part of a flower)'.
'Tristagma' was coined in modern botanical Latin by combining Greek roots 'tri-' + 'stigma' to describe a floral feature (literally 'three-stigma') and was adopted as a genus name in botanical literature.
Initially it referred descriptively to a floral structure ('three stigmas'); over time it has been used primarily as a formal genus name in botanical taxonomy.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a botanical genus name used for certain bulbous flowering plants (modern botanical usage); refers to the taxonomic group itself.
Tristagma species are sometimes grown in rock gardens for their small star-shaped flowers.
Noun 2
a Latinized compound formed from Greek elements meaning 'three' + 'stigma' (used descriptively of a floral feature).
The name Tristagma alludes to the flower's three-parted stigma in the original description.
Last updated: 2025/12/14 18:39