Word Study
sterculiaceous
CIDE DICTIONARY
sterculiaceous, a. [NL. Sterculia, the typical genus, fr. L. Sterculius the deity that presided over manuring, from stercus dung. So called because one of the original species is fetid.].
Of or pertaining to a natural order (Sterculiaceæ ) of polypetalous exogenous plants, mostly tropical. The cacao (Theobroma Cacao ) is the most useful plant of the order. [1913 Webster]
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