birthwort family: Meaning and Definition of

birth'wort fam"ily

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the plant family Aristolochiaceae, typified by mostly tropical woody vines and herbaceous plants, having alternate, heart-shaped leaves and flowers lacking true petals but having three petallike sepals, and including the birthwort, Dutchman's-pipe, and wild ginger.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.