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Glite Dictionary
Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae

9.9
A family of flowering plants like poinsettia, rubber tree, and cassava
  • noun
  • /juˈfɔrbiˌeɪsiˌi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Euphorbiaceae
  • (n3) The former possibly Euphorbiaceae Ricinodendron africanum (or Ricinodendron heudelotii), the "African Wood-oil-nut tree" (Dalziel 1937:159).

Examples

  • The Euphorbiaceae family includes plants like the poinsettia and rubber tree, which are commonly found in tropical regions.

  • Many species in the Euphorbiaceae family are used for their medicinal properties, such as cassava and jatropha.

  • Botanists study the Euphorbiaceae to understand its diverse range of herbs, shrubs, and trees.

Synonyms

spurge family
vsEuphorbiaceae
  • Specialized
9.7

A family of flowering plants like poinsettias and spurges that often have milky sap

is the scientific family name used in formal or taxonomic contexts

Surface Forms

Euphorbiaceae singular
Euphorbiaceas singular

Morphology

Euphorbiaceae = Euphorbia (opaque) = Euphorbi + aceae

Formed by adding the specialized botanical family suffix '-aceae' to a genus name; this taxonomic formation is not transparently meaningful to average learners.

Etymology

Euphorbiaceae comes from the plant name Euphorbia plus the botanical ending -aceae, which means 'family'. Euphorbia was named for an ancient doctor called Euphorbus who used a spurge plant as medicine, so Euphorbiaceae is the 'Euphorbia family' of plants like the poinsettia and the rubber tree.