Dracenaceae

9.9

A group of plants once seen as a separate family but now usually part of Agavaceae

noun
/ˌdræksəˈneɪʃiˌi/

Archaic

: dracaenáceas

Modern taxonomies rarely recognize Dracenaceae as a distinct family anymore.

Examples

The Dracenaceae included species with sword-shaped leaves similar to those in Agavaceae.
The Dracenaceae family includes several popular houseplants.
Some botanists once classified these desert plants under the Dracenaceae family.
Many people enjoy caring for Dracenaceas in their homes.
Some botanists once classified these desert plants under the Dracenaceae family.
Modern taxonomies rarely recognize Dracenaceae as a distinct family anymore.
The Dracenaceae included species with sword-shaped leaves similar to those in Agavaceae.

Synonyms

Dracaenaceae

vsDracenaceae

Archaic

9.9

A group of tropical plants like the dragon tree now usually placed in the asparagus family

is usually placed specifically in Agavaceae rather than in multiple families

Surface Forms

Dracenaceae singular

Dracenaceas plural

Morphology

Dracenaceae = Dracaena (opaque) = Dracaen + aceae

This is a technical taxonomic formation (genus name + the Latin family suffix '-aceae') which is unlikely to be interpretable by an average B1 learner even if they know the genus name.

Etymology

Dracenaceae comes from the plant name Dracaena and the family ending -aceae, and Dracaena comes from a Greek word meaning 'dragon' because some trees make a bright red sap called 'dragon's blood' and look striking. So Dracenaceae simply means the family of plants related to the 'dragon' tree.