Polypetalae
|pol-y-pet-a-lae|
🇺🇸
/ˌpɑːlɪpəˈtæli/
🇬🇧
/ˌpɒlɪpəˈtæli/
many separate petals
Etymology
'Polypetalae' originates from New Latin, ultimately from Greek elements 'poly-' meaning 'many' and 'petalon' meaning 'leaf' or 'petal'.
'Polypetalae' developed as a New Latin botanical term (plural form) from Greek-based components and was adopted into English botanical usage in the 18th–19th centuries for classification; it reflects the older artificial systems (e.g., those of Bentham & Hooker) and is now largely historical.
Initially it meant 'plants having many separate petals'; over time it has remained close to that sense but its use has declined as modern phylogenetic classifications replaced the older artificial groups.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a historical botanical grouping (used in older classification systems) for plants whose flowers have separate, free petals rather than fused petals.
In 19th-century floras, many dicotyledons were placed in Polypetalae because their petals were free.
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Adjective 1
describing a flower that has distinct, separate petals (not fused into a tube or corolla).
A polypetalous flower displays clearly separate petals around the stamens.
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Last updated: 2026/01/10 18:20