clubmoss family

9.8

A group of small, green plants that make spores rather than seeds

noun
/ˈklʌbˌmɔs ˈfæmɪli/

Specialized

: familia de los musgos de club

Members of the clubmoss family reproduce using spores rather than seeds.

Examples

Some members of the clubmoss family thrive in moist environments.
Scientists study the clubmoss family to understand plant evolution.
The clubmoss family includes several species found in temperate forests.
The clubmoss family includes various species of plants.
Members of the clubmoss family reproduce using spores rather than seeds.
The clubmoss family includes several species found in temperate forests.
Some members of the clubmoss family thrive in moist environments.

Synonyms

Lycopodiaceae

vsclubmoss family

Specialized

9.9

A group of small plants that make spores to grow new plants, like clubmosses

is the common name form used in everyday reference

Surface Forms

clubmoss family singular

clubmoss families plural

Morphology

clubmoss + family

This is a compositional noun phrase: 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping and combined with the plant name 'clubmoss' yields 'the family of clubmosses', so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the parts. The pattern 'X family' for biological groups is common across languages, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Clubmoss family is named after small plants called clubmosses: they look a bit like moss and have a small cone or 'club' that holds their 'spores'. So clubmoss family means the group of those plants that make 'spores' rather than 'seeds'.