Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
phlox family

phlox family

8.7
A group of mostly non-woody plants with bright, showy flowers found in mild climates
  • noun
  • /flɒks ˈfæmɪli/
translation icon : familia de phlox
  • Plants of the phlox family are admired for their vibrant, showy blossoms in spring and summer.

Examples

  • Botanists classify the species under the phlox family due to their distinctive floral structures.

  • The phlox family is vibrant.

  • The phlox family includes many popular garden flowers, such as the bluebonnet and Jacob's ladder.

  • Look at the phlox family!

  • Plants of the phlox family are admired for their vibrant, showy blossoms in spring and summer.

  • Botanists classify the species under the phlox family due to their distinctive floral structures.

  • The phlox family includes many popular garden flowers, such as the bluebonnet and Jacob's ladder.

Synonyms

Polemoniaceae
vsphlox family
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of flowering plants like phlox with bright showy flowers

is the common name emphasising showy herbaceous plants in temperate regions

Surface Forms

phlox family singular
phlox families plural

Morphology

phlox + family

The meaning is directly compositional: 'phlox' names a genus of flowering plants and 'family' denotes a taxonomic group, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer this refers to the plant family that includes phlox. This follows standard noun + family naming in biology and is not idiomatic or metaphorical, so it is readily understandable from the parts.

Etymology

The name phlox family may come from the old Greek word phlox, which means 'flame' because many of these flowers are bright and look like small flames. So the name helps you remember that this family is a group of showy garden plants.