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genus Lathyrus

genus Lathyrus

9.8
A group of climbing plants like wild peas that grow in mild climates
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Lathyrus
  • Peas and vetchlings of the genus Lathyrus are common in temperate meadows.

Examples

  • Many plants in the genus Lathyrus are known for their climbing ability.

  • Several species within the genus Lathyrus are valued for their ornamental flowers.

  • The genus Lathyrus includes both edible and inedible species.

  • The genus Lathyrus includes several species of wild peas.

  • Many plants in the genus Lathyrus are known for their climbing ability.

  • Peas and vetchlings of the genus Lathyrus are common in temperate meadows.

  • Several species within the genus Lathyrus are valued for their ornamental flowers.

Synonyms

Lathyrus
vsgenus Lathyrus
  • Specialized
9.9

A climbing plant in the pea family with small, attractive flowers

is the same group but explicitly labeled as a taxonomic genus

Surface Forms

Morphology

genus + Lathyrus

The phrase is directly compositional: 'genus' names a biological rank and 'Lathyrus' is the name of that plant group, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the taxonomic group of Lathyrus plants. Scientific naming conventions are cross-linguistically familiar, making this meaning immediately recoverable from the constituents.

Etymology

Genus Lathyrus comes from an old Greek word that meant 'pea', because many plants in this group have pea-like flowers and pods and climb like pea plants. So genus Lathyrus is the name used for this group of climbing, pea-like herbs.