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Glite Dictionary
sour-gum family

sour-gum family

9.9
A group of related trees that make flowers and fruit, like the sour gum tree
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de los tupelos
  • Several species in the sour-gum family produce fruit that is valuable to wildlife.

Examples

  • The sour-gum family is found primarily in temperate and subtropical regions.

  • Many trees in the sour-gum family thrive in wetland areas.

  • Botanists debated the classification of the sour-gum family for many years.

  • The sour-gum family includes several unique species.

  • The sour-gum family is known for its distinct flowering trees found across various regions.

  • Several species in the sour-gum family are important for maintaining wetland ecosystems.

  • The sour-gum family includes diverse trees that contribute to local biodiversity.

Synonyms

tupelo family
vssour-gum family
  • Specialized
9.6

A group of flowering trees that includes sour gum trees

is a different common name for the same family
Nyssaceae
vssour-gum family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of trees that includes the black tupelo and water tupelo

is the nontechnical common name used instead of the scientific term

Surface Forms

sour-gum family singular
sour-gum families plural

Morphology

sour-gum + family

The pattern '[X] family' is compositional and tells a learner that this is the taxonomic group related to 'sour-gum', so the overall relational meaning (a family of species) is predictable. However, the specific lexical item 'sour-gum' is a plant name whose referent (a type of tree) is not transparently derivable from the constituents 'sour' + 'gum', so a B1 learner would only partially infer the full meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Sour-gum family gets its name from simple features of these trees: some make small, sour fruit and many give a sticky sap called gum. So the name points to this group of related trees.