noun
widely distributed family of mostly tropical trees and shrubs and herbs; includes coffee and chinchona and gardenia and madder and bedstraws and partridgeberry
• Syn: ↑Rubiaceae, ↑family Rubiaceae
• Hypernyms: ↑asterid dicot family
• Member Holonyms: ↑Rubiales, ↑order Rubiales
• Member Meronyms:
↑madderwort, ↑rubiaceous plant, ↑Rubia, ↑genus Rubia, ↑Asperula, ↑genus Asperula, ↑Calycophyllum, ↑genus Calycophyllum, ↑Chiococca, ↑genus Chiococca, ↑Coffea, ↑genus Coffea, ↑genus Cinchona, ↑genus Chinchona, ↑Galium, ↑genus Galium, ↑genus Gardenia, ↑genus Genipa, ↑genus Hamelia, ↑Mitchella, ↑genus Mitchella, ↑Nauclea, ↑genus Nauclea, ↑Pinckneya, ↑genus Pinckneya, ↑Psychotria, ↑genus Psychotria, ↑Sarcocephalus, ↑genus Sarcocephalus, ↑Vangueria, ↑genus Vangueria
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noun* * *
the large plant family Rubiaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants, trees, and shrubs having simple, opposite, or whorled leaves, usually four- or five-lobed flowers, and fruit in the form of a berry, capsule, or nut, and including the gardenia, madder, partridgeberry, and shrubs and trees that are the source of coffee, ipecac, and quinine.
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madder family,
a group of dicotyledonous, chiefly tropical trees, shrubs, or herbs closely related to the honeysuckle family. The family includes the madder, cinchona, coffee, gardenia, bedstraw, and partridgeberry.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.