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Glite Dictionary
bean-caper family

bean-caper family

9.9
A group of small trees, shrubs, and herbs that grow in hot, dry, salty places and are sometimes poisonous
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de las zygophylláceas
  • The bean-caper family includes several plants that thrive in desert environments.

Examples

  • Guaiacum and Larrea are well-known genera within the bean-caper family.

  • Scientists are studying the medicinal properties of some shrubs in the bean-caper family.

  • The bean-caper family includes various species adapted to arid climates.

  • Did you know that the bean-caper family has some poisonous members?

  • Guaiacum and Larrea are well-known genera within the bean-caper family.

  • The bean-caper family includes several plants that thrive in desert environments.

  • Did you know that the bean-caper family has some poisonous members?

Synonyms

family Zygophyllaceae
vsbean-caper family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small trees, shrubs, and herbs that grow in hot, dry, salty places

is the common English name for the same plant family
Zygophyllaceae
vsbean-caper family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of flowering plants like small trees and shrubs that live in warm, dry, salty places

is the everyday common name for that identical taxonomic group

Surface Forms

bean-caper family singular
bean-caper families plural

Morphology

bean-caper + family

The structure 'X family' is a transparent taxonomic pattern so a learner who knows 'family' will infer this is a group of organisms called 'bean-caper' (i.e., a plant family). However, the constituent 'bean-caper' is a rare, specialized compound (not a straightforward combination of 'bean' + 'caper') and its specific botanical sense and properties cannot be derived from the parts. Thus the phrase is partly compositional (family = group) but the lexical head is not predictable, making it only partially transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Bean-caper family may come from a simple picture: some plants in this group have seeds that look like small beans, and other parts can smell or taste a bit like the pickled caper people eat. So people used that image to name this 'family of plants' that often grow in warm, dry places.