St John's wort family

8.5

A family of mostly tropical trees, shrubs, and vines that produce resin, oils, and useful wood

noun
/seɪnt dʒɒnz wɜrt ˈfæmɪli/

Specialized

: familia del hipérico

Many members of the St John's wort family are known for producing resins and essential oils.

Examples

Botanists have identified more than 400 species in the St John's wort family worldwide.
The St John's wort family includes plants that are valued both for their medicinal and ornamental uses.
The St John's wort family thrives in tropical climates.
Did you know the St John's wort family has medicinal uses?
Many members of the St John's wort family are known for producing resins and essential oils.
The St John's wort family includes plants that are valued both for their medicinal and ornamental uses.
Botanists have identified more than 400 species in the St John's wort family worldwide.

Synonyms

Hypericaceae

vsSt John's wort family

Specialized

9.9

A group of flowering plants that includes St John’s wort

is the common, descriptive name rather than the formal botanical label

Surface Forms

St John's wort family singular

St John's wort families plural

Morphology

St + John's + wort + family

The phrase is compositionally built from a plant name plus a taxonomic label: 'St John's wort' (a plant name) + 'family' (a group of related species). A learner who knows the parts can infer this refers to the biological family of plants related to St John's wort, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

St John's wort family gets its name from the herb St John's wort, which often blooms around St John's Day in June and was long used in folk medicine, and the word wort simply means 'plant'. So, the name points to a family, a 'group' of related plants many of which produce oils, resins, or are used for medicine and timber.