[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

rubiaceous \ru`bia"ceous\, a. l. rubia madder, fr. rubeus
   red. bot.
   of or pertaining to a very large natural order of plants
   rubiaceae named after the madder rubia tinctoria, and
   including about three hundred and seventy genera and over
   four thousand species. among them are the coffee tree, the
   trees yielding peruvian bark and quinine, the madder, the
   quaker ladies, and the trees bearing the edible fruits called
   genipap and sierre leone peach, besides many plants noted for
   the beauty or the fragrance of their blossoms.
   1913 webster
see also:
rubiaceae rubia tinctoria 

Rubiaceous >> R Words
Rubiaceous, definition of term: Rubiaceous
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