Family

Purdue Arboretum Learning System

This glossary definition is part of the Purdue Arboretum learning resource database, providing educational information on campus flora, morphology, and botanical terminology.

Synonyms: Families
Categories: Taxonomy / naming

Family
A rank in the scientific classification of plants that groups together related genera sharing key characteristics—often in the structure of their flowers, fruits, or seeds. For example, the rose family (Rosaceae) includes not only roses but also apples, cherries, and hawthorns. Recognizing a plant’s family is often the first step in identifying it and understanding how it relates to other plants.

Taxonomic rank denotes the level that a group of organisms—either taxon or clade—occupies in a hierarchical system of classification, which is based on evolutionary relationships. The major ranks: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

The Purdue Arboretum is a collaboration between the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Administrative Operations

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