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genus Apios

genus Apios

9.5
A group of climbing plants in the pea family that live for many years, like the groundnut
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛnəs ˈeɪpiˌoʊs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Apios
  • One well-known member of genus Apios is the groundnut, valued for its edible roots.

Examples

  • The tubers of genus Apios were an important food source for Native Americans.

  • The genus Apios includes several species of flowering plants.

  • Botanists studied the adaptability of genus Apios to various soil types.

  • Did you know that genus Apios is also known as groundnut?

  • One well-known member of genus Apios is the groundnut, valued for its edible roots.

  • The tubers of genus Apios were an important food source for Native Americans.

  • The genus Apios includes several species of flowering plants.

Synonyms

Apios
vsgenus Apios
  • Specialized
9.9

A climbing plant from North America with edible potato-like tubers

is a taxonomic name that emphasizes belonging to the pea family

Surface Forms

genus Apios singular
genera Apios plural

Morphology

genus + Apios

The phrase combines the common biological term genus (a taxonomic rank) with the taxon name Apios, so its meaning 'the genus named Apios' is directly and compositionally derivable from the constituents. Taxonomic naming (rank + name) is cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning even if they have not encountered this specific plant name before.

Etymology

Genus Apios may come from an old Greek word meaning 'pear' or 'pear-like', and the part Apios points to that shape. That's why botanists used the name for this group of twining plants, like the groundnut, whose tubers look a little like small pears.