Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Caesalpiniaceae

Caesalpiniaceae

9.9
A group of trees and shrubs once treated as a separate plant family now part of the pea family
  • noun
  • /ˌsiːzəlˈpɪniˌeɪsiː/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Caesalpiniaceae
  • Scientists classify the Caesalpiniaceae family as part of the larger Fabaceae family in modern botanical taxonomy.

Examples

  • Many tropical regions are home to species from the Caesalpiniaceae family, known for their drought resistance.

  • So in switching plant families (from Sapindaceae to Caesalpiniaceae), the butterfly has apparently abandoned its original niche.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The plant known as Caesalpiniaceae features distinctive spiny branches and vibrant flowers.

Synonyms

family Caesalpiniaceae
vsCaesalpiniaceae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of flowering plants often seen as spiny trees and shrubs like carob and Bauhinia

is treated as a former family now included within a broader legume family
Caesalpinioideae
vsCaesalpiniaceae
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of plants in the bean family including trees and shrubs with leaves in rows of small leaflets

is a former family label rather than a subfamily rank in some systems

Surface Forms

Caesalpiniaceae singular
Caesalpiniaceas plural

Morphology

Caesalpiniaceae = Caesalpinia (opaque) = Caesalpinia + aceae

Formed from the genus name + the botanical family-forming suffix '-aceae'; this formation is regular in scientific nomenclature but not transparent to general English learners.

Etymology

Caesalpiniaceae comes from the plant name Caesalpinia, which was named after the Italian plant scientist Andrea Cesalpino. The ending -aceae means 'family' in plant names, as in Rosaceae and Fabaceae, so Caesalpiniaceae literally means the 'Cesalpino family' of plants, a group of related trees and shrubs.