Celtidaceae

/ˌsɛltɪˈdeɪˌsiː/ noun

Definition

A family of flowering plants that includes the hackberry and nettle trees, distributed across temperate and tropical regions.

Etymology

From the genus Celtis (named after an ancient people, possibly because the plant was found in their regions) plus the Latin botanical suffix -aceae (indicating a plant family). This scientific name was formalized in the 19th century using Linnaean nomenclature.

Kelly Says

It's kind of funny that a completely ordinary plant family got named after the Celts—probably just because a botanist found a Celtis tree in Europe and thought that was a logical name, without realizing it would sound like 'Celtic plant family' forever.

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