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Glite Dictionary
passionflower family

passionflower family

8.5
A group of tropical climbing plants and shrubs with showy flowers
  • noun
  • /ˈpæʃənˌflaʊər ˈfæmɪli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : familia de las pasifloras
  • Many species in the passionflower family are prized for their intricate and colorful blooms.

Examples

  • The passionflower family includes plants that are native to tropical and subtropical regions.

  • Some fruits from the passionflower family are edible and used in juices and desserts.

  • The passionflower family includes many beautiful species.

  • Did you know that the passionflower family has over 500 species?

  • Many species in the passionflower family are prized for their intricate and colorful blooms.

  • Some fruits from the passionflower family are edible and used in juices and desserts.

  • The passionflower family includes plants that are native to tropical and subtropical regions.

Synonyms

Passifloraceae
vspassionflower family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of tropical climbing plants like passionflowers that often have thin curling stems and edible fruit

uses the common English family name and highlights showy flowers and varied growth forms

Surface Forms

passionflower family singular
passionflower families plural

Morphology

passionflower + family

The phrase is clearly compositional: combining 'passionflower' (the plant) with 'family' (a scientific grouping) yields the taxonomic group of passionflower species. The 'X family' construction is a common, cross-linguistic way to name biological groups, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Passionflower family: The plant name passionflower family comes from a story by early Christian missionaries who saw parts of the showy passionflower as signs of Christ's 'passion', for example a thread-like crown that looked like a crown of thorns and centre parts that looked like nails. That's why people gave this name to the whole family of plants.