bombacopsis

noun

bom·​ba·​cop·​sis

ˌbämbəˈkäpsə̇s

1

capitalized : a genus of large trees (family Bombacaceae) with capsular fruits that burst when dry or release a soft brown wool surrounding the small brown seeds

2

plural bombacopses : any tree of the genus Bombacopsis

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Bombac-, Bombax bombax + -opsis -opsis

Note: Genus name introduced by the Swiss-born Latin-American botanist Henri François Pittier (1857-1950) in "New or Noteworthy Plants from Colombia and Central America—5," Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, vol. 18, part 4 (1916), pp. 159-61.

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