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Glite Dictionary
dogbane family

dogbane family

9.1
A group of mainly tropical flowering plants with milky sap and showy flowers, some used as medicine
  • noun
  • /ˈdɔɡˌbeɪn ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de los perjuro
  • The dogbane family, known for its medicinal properties, includes several species with beautiful flowers.

Examples

  • Researchers are studying plants in the dogbane family for potential new sources of herbal medicine.

  • Maile is a vine with fragrant leaves whose milky sap shows it to be in the dogbane family.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Many plants in the dogbane family produce milky sap, which can be used for various medicinal purposes.

Synonyms

Apocynaceae
vsdogbane family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of tropical plants with milky sap and showy flowers

is the common nontechnical name for the same family used in general language

Surface Forms

dogbane family singular
dogbane families plural

Morphology

dogbane + family

The phrase is a straightforward noun + taxonomic headword: if a learner knows 'dogbane' (a toxic plant) and 'family' (a scientific grouping), they can infer this refers to the plant family that includes dogbane. This compositional pattern (e.g. 'rose family', 'mint family') is common and predictable, so the meaning is directly recoverable from the constituents.

Etymology

The name dogbane family may come from an old name for plants that hurt dogs: dog + bane means something that 'poisons' dogs. So dogbane family now names a group of related plants, many with milky sap and strong chemicals that have been used as medicine.