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Botanical Latin: Dentata

Populus grandidentata

Populus grandidentata

Dentata (den TAY tuh)  derived from the Latin dens, dentis (tooth), meaning toothed

Often used as the specific epithet, dentata usually refers to the margins of the leaves. American chestnut, Castanea dentata, has leaves with widely spaced teeth on the edges of its leaves that make them easily identifiable. Dentata can be combined with various prefixes to indicate more about the teeth. Hence the specific name of big-tooth aspen, Populus grandidentata, is a combination of grandi- and -dentata to indicate that the teeth are relatively large.

Other plants with dentata as the specific epithet include: Lavender (Lavandula dentata), tropical banksia (Banksia dentata), and nana-berry (Rhus dentata)

Lavandular dentata

Lavandular dentata

Banksia dentata.jpeg 2

Banksia dentata

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Rhus dentata

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