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Glite Dictionary
sterculia family

sterculia family

9.9
A group of tropical trees and shrubs like cacao and kola
  • noun
  • /stɜrˈkuːliə ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de esterculia
  • Several economically valuable plants belong to the sterculia family, including kola and cacao trees.

Examples

  • The sterculia family includes important tropical trees such as the source of cocoa.

  • The sterculia family includes many tropical plants.

  • Researchers studied genetic diversity within the sterculia family across Asia and Africa.

  • Did you know that the sterculia family contains cacao?

  • Several economically valuable plants belong to the sterculia family, including kola and cacao trees.

  • Researchers studied genetic diversity within the sterculia family across Asia and Africa.

  • The sterculia family includes important tropical trees, like those that produce cocoa.

Synonyms

family Sterculiaceae
vssterculia family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of tropical flowering trees and plants including cacao and kola

is treated as a current family including those tropical trees and shrubs
Sterculiaceae
vssterculia family
  • Archaic
9.9

A former group of flowering trees and shrubs, now mostly placed in the Malvaceae family

is viewed as a distinct large family rather than a reclassified subgroup

Surface Forms

sterculia family singular
sterculia families plural

Morphology

Sterculia + family

The phrase 'Sterculia family' is compositional: 'Sterculia' names a genus or group of plants and 'family' denotes a taxonomic grouping, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the plant family that includes Sterculia. This noun–noun taxonomic pattern is common across languages and follows standard English scientific naming, making the meaning directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Sterculia family gets its name from the old Latin word Sterculia, which was linked to a Roman god of 'dung'. People used that name because some trees in the group give a strong 'dung' smell, so the name stuck and now refers to tropical trees like cacao and kola.