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Centrospermae

Centrospermae

9.9
An old name for a group of flowering plants now called Caryophyllales
  • noun
  • Archaic
: Centrospermae
  • In old botanical classifications, Centrospermae referred to a group of flowering plants before it was replaced by the order Caryophyllales.

Examples

  • Botanists now consider Centrospermae an outdated taxonomic grouping, replacing it with Caryophyllales.

  • The family Amaranthaceae was once classified under Centrospermae in older botanical texts.

  • Historical references to Centrospermae can still be found in early 20th-century plant taxonomy literature.

  • The classification of Centrospermae has changed over the years.

  • Many botanists no longer use the term Centrospermae.

  • In historical plant taxonomy, Centrospermae included several families that are now categorized differently.

  • Many students of botany learn about Centrospermae when studying the evolution of plant classification systems.

Synonyms

Caryophyllales
vsCentrospermae
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of flowering plants that includes cacti, carnations, and amaranths

is the older name for that same group replaced by the modern order
Chenopodiales
vsCentrospermae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of flowering plants that includes the goosefoot family and related families

is the older broader group that was split and replaced by modern orders

Surface Forms

Centrospermae singular

Etymology

The word Centrospermae breaks into the parts centro- and -spermae, which mean 'center' and 'seed'. Botanists once used it for a group of plants with seeds in the middle of the fruit, so the name shows why it was used for that old plant group now replaced by Caryophyllales.