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Glite Dictionary
Verbenaceae

Verbenaceae

9.9
Plants like verbena and lantana that grow in warm regions as herbs, shrubs, or small trees
  • noun
  • /vərˈbɛnəˌsi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Verbenáceas
  • Common species population sizes were much larger at Mersing than at the other two sites, and often only one or two species accounted for the dominance of particular families, as shown by species in the Annonaceae and Verbenaceae.

Examples

  • The Verbenaceae family includes many popular ornamental plants, such as verbena and lantana.

  • The garden was filled with colorful flowers from the Verbenaceae family, attracting many butterflies.

  • Researchers studied the Verbenaceae family to understand its role in local ecosystems.

Synonyms

verbena family
vsVerbenaceae
  • Specialized
8.6

A group of tropical and subtropical plants like herbs, shrubs, and trees mostly from the Americas

is the scientific name for the same plant family
vervain family
vsVerbenaceae
  • Specialized
9.5

A group of tropical and subtropical flowering plants like shrubs and herbs that grow mainly in the Americas

refers to the scientific name rather than the alternate common name

Surface Forms

Verbenaceae singular
Verbenaceas plural

Morphology

Verbenaceae = verbena (opaque) = verbena + aceae

Formed via the Latinized botanical family suffix '-aceae' attached to the genus name 'verbena', a formation that is specialized and not transparently meaningful to general learners.

Etymology

Verbenaceae comes from the plant name verbena plus the family ending -aceae, so it simply means the family of verbena-like plants. The old Latin word verbena meant a 'sacred branch' and later became the name for garden plants like verbena and lantana, which is why Verbenaceae refers to that group of tropical and subtropical herbs, shrubs, and trees.