genus Maranta

9.9

A group of tropical plants that have attractive leaves and sometimes edible underground stems

noun
/ˈdʒɛnəs məˈræntə/

Specialized

: género Maranta

Many species in the genus Maranta are cultivated as houseplants for their attractive leaves.

Examples

The arrowroot plant, an important food source, belongs to the genus Maranta.
Researchers discovered a new species within the genus Maranta in the Amazon rainforest.
The genus Maranta includes several species of beautiful plants.
Many gardeners love to grow genus Maranta for its unique leaves.
Many species in the genus Maranta are cultivated as houseplants for their attractive leaves.
The arrowroot plant, an important food source, belongs to the genus Maranta.
Researchers discovered a new species within the genus Maranta in the Amazon rainforest.

Surface Forms

genus Maranta singular

genera Maranta plural

Morphology

genus + maranta

The phrase is fully compositional: 'genus' (a biological rank grouping related species) combined with 'Maranta' (a plant name) denotes the taxonomic group of Maranta species. This follows standard biological naming patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Genus Maranta comes from Bartolomeo Maranta, an Italian doctor and plant writer from long ago. His family name became the Maranta part of the label, and genus means a 'group of related plants', so today genus Maranta names those tropical herbs with showy leaves and edible roots.