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Glite Dictionary
genus Croton

genus Croton

9.1
A group of tropical shrubs and small plants that sometimes give a toxic oil
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Croton
  • The toxic croton oil is extracted from certain members of the genus Croton.

Examples

  • Many species in the genus Croton are cultivated for their ornamental foliage.

  • Researchers are studying the medicinal properties of plants in the genus Croton.

  • The genus Croton includes many species of tropical plants.

  • Did you know that the genus Croton is part of the Euphorbiaceae family?

  • Many species in the genus Croton are cultivated for their ornamental foliage.

  • Researchers are studying the medicinal properties of plants in the genus Croton.

  • The genus Croton includes many species of tropical plants.

Surface Forms

genus Croton singular
genera Croton plural

Morphology

genus + croton

This is a compositional taxonomic phrase: 'genus' denotes a biological rank grouping related species and 'Croton' names a particular plant group. Together they straightforwardly mean the biological genus called Croton (a group of related plant species), a pattern that is cross-linguistically common and immediately inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Genus Croton gets its name from an old Greek word for a 'tick' because the seeds of some plants look like tiny ticks. Plant scientists later used the name genus Croton for the whole group of tropical shrubs and herbs, some of which make the toxic 'croton oil'.