Gamopetalae
|ga-mo-pe-ta-ae|
🇺🇸
/ˌɡæməpɪˈtæli/
🇬🇧
/ˌɡæməpɪˈteɪliː/
joined (fused) petals
Etymology
'Gamopetalae' originates from New Latin (botanical usage), ultimately from Ancient Greek: 'gamos' (γάμος) meaning 'marriage, union' and 'petalon' (πέταλον) meaning 'petal', so the compound denotes 'united/fused petals'.
'Gamopetalae' was formed in New Latin for use in 18th–19th century plant classification (appearing in works such as Bentham & Hooker) from the Greek components 'gamos' + 'petalon'; over time the term has fallen out of favor as phylogenetic systems replaced older artificial groupings.
Initially it referred straightforwardly to 'plants with joined petals'; that core meaning has remained, but the term's taxonomic status has largely been superseded in modern classifications.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a historical taxonomic group of flowering plants characterized by petals that are united or fused (sympetalous flowers); used in older classification systems rather than in modern phylogenetic taxonomy.
In some 19th-century floras, Gamopetalae was used to group plants with fused corollas.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/10 18:46