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Glite Dictionary
Theophrastaceae

Theophrastaceae

9.9
A family of mainly tropical American trees and bushes similar to Myrsinaceae
  • noun
  • /θiˌoʊfrəˈsteɪʃiˌi/
  • Specialized
: teofrastáceas
  • Many species in the Theophrastaceae family are native to Central and South America.

Examples

  • Botanists often debate whether Theophrastaceae should be merged with the Myrsinaceae.

  • The Theophrastaceae family includes many tropical plants.

  • The flowers of Theophrastaceae are typically small and arranged in clusters.

  • Many species of Theophrastaceae thrive in humid environments.

  • Many species in the Theophrastaceae family are native to Central and South America.

  • The flowers of Theophrastaceae are typically small and arranged in clusters.

  • The Theophrastaceae family includes many tropical plants.

Surface Forms

Theophrastaceae singular
Theophrastaceae plural

Morphology

Theophrastaceae = Theophrastus (opaque) = Theophrast + aceae

Formed by adding the technical botanical family suffix '-aceae' to a proper name stem; this taxonomic formation is specialized and not obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Theophrastaceae is the plant family named after the ancient Greek writer Theophrastus, who studied plants and is often called the 'father of botany'. The ending -aceae marks a plant family, as in the Rosaceae, the rose family, so the name tells you this is a family of plants linked to Theophrastus.