violet family

American  

noun

1. the plant family Violaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants and some tropical shrubs and trees having alternate, usually simple leaves, solitary flowers with five usually irregular petals, the lower petal often spurred, and a berry or many-seeded capsule, and including the Johnny-jump-up, pansy, and numerous species of violet.

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Example Sentences

The spectacular new violet family species was found in New Guinea.

From The Guardian • Dec. 17, 2019

Sauvagesia, saw-vā-jē′si-a, n. a genus of polypetalous plants of the violet family.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

The mottled effect of the leaves accounts for the trout part of the name, and as for lily, it is a lily, and never belonged to the violet family at all.

From The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. by Shaw, Ellen Eddy