asclepiadaceous

[ uh-sklee-pee-uh-dey-shuhs ]

adjective

1. belonging to the Asclepiadaceae, the milkweed family of plants.

asclepiadaceous

/ æˌskliːpɪəˈdeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Asclepiadaceae , a family of mostly tropical and subtropical flowering plants, including the milkweed and swallowwort, having pollen in the form of a waxy mass (pollinium): now usually regarded as a subfamily of the Apocynaceae

Word History and Origins

Origin of asclepiadaceous¹

1875–80; < New Latin Asclepiadace ( ae ) ( Asclepiad-, stem of Asclepias the type genus ( Latin < Greek asklēpiás a plant, perhaps the swallowwort, derivative of Asklēpiós Asclepius ) + -aceae -aceae ) + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of asclepiadaceous¹

C19: from New Latin Asclēpias genus name, from Latin, from Greek asklēpias, named after Asclepius