Ambrosiaceae

/ˌæmbroʊziˈeɪsiː/ noun

Definition

A family of flowering plants commonly known as ragweeds, bur marigolds, and cockleburs, characterized by small flowers and often highly allergenic pollen.

Etymology

From 'ambrosia' (the mythological food of the gods, also a plant genus) + the Linnaean suffix '-aceae' meaning plant family. Scientists named this plant group after ambrosia, possibly because some species were thought to have medicinal properties.

Kelly Says

Ragweeds in the Ambrosiaceae family are the sneaky culprits behind millions of cases of hay fever—botanists literally named them after the food of the gods while they were making billions of humans miserable with their pollen!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.