Calamitaceae
|cal-a-mi-ta-ceae|
/ˌkæləmɪˈteɪsiː/
family of extinct reed-like plants
Etymology
'Calamitaceae' originates from New Latin, specifically formed from the genus name 'Calamites' plus the botanical family suffix '-aceae', where 'Calamites' derives from Latin 'calamita' (from Greek 'kalamos') meaning 'reed' or 'cane', and '-aceae' denotes 'family of'.
'Calamitaceae' changed from the genus name 'Calamites' (originally from Latin/Greek for 'reed'), and with the adoption of standard botanical Latin family endings it became the modern family name 'Calamitaceae'.
Initially the root referred to 'reed' or 'cane' describing the plant's reed-like form; over time it evolved into the taxonomic meaning 'the family of Calamites-like plants', i.e., 'Calamitaceae'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an extinct family of sphenopsid (horsetail-like) plants, including the genus Calamites, that were common in Carboniferous to Permian terrestrial floras.
Fossils of Calamitaceae are frequently found in Carboniferous sedimentary rocks.
Last updated: 2025/12/18 20:33