genus

(plural ‘genera’)

The next larger taxonomic group above species, containing a closely related group of species. For instance, all oaks are in the genus Quercus, sometimes expressed as ‘the oaks’ or as ‘Quercus spp.’ in which ‘spp.’ is short for ‘species (plural)’.



This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
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