different between forb vs herbaceous

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ????? (phorb?, “food”), from ????? (phérb?, “to feed”).

Noun

forb (plural forbs)

1. (chiefly ecology) Any non-woody flowering plant that is not a graminoid (a grass, sedge, or rush).
   • 2002, Dale F. Lott, American Bison: A Natural History, page 122,

     So younger is better and the part nearest the roots is better, but what makes life possible for the pronghorn is a supply of forbs—small broadleaf plants growing among the grasses.

   • 2004, A. Kirilov, P. Todorova Development of forage areas and forage resources in Bulgaria during the period of transition, A. Lüscher, et al. (editors), Land Use Systems in Grassland Dominated Regions: Proceedings of the 20th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation, Grassland Science in Europe, Volume 9, page 859,

     Buchgraber (1995) recommends 50-70% of grasses, 10-30% of legumes and also 10-30% of forbs on meadows, while Kessler (1994) recommends the same proportion of grasses, 10-20% of legumes and 20-40% of forbs on natural meadows.

Anagrams

• frob

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin herb?ceus (“grassy”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /h?(?)?be?.??s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /h??be?.??s/
• Rhymes: -e???s

Adjective

herbaceous (comparative more herbaceous, superlative most herbaceous)

1. (botany) Not woody, lacking lignified tissues.
2. (wine) Not woody in flavor.
3. (dated) Feeding on herbs and soft plants.
   • 1861, Charles John Andersson, Lake Ngami, chapter XL, page 490

     The hippopotamus is an herbaceous animal.

Antonyms

• woody

Derived terms

Translations