forb

forb — noun

1. a plant with a soft, non-woody stem that belongs to the broad group of flowering

1.名詞C2
釋義

a plant with a soft, non-woody stem that belongs to the broad group of flowering plants other than grasses, sedges, or rushes — a term used mainly in ecology and botany to describe the broadleaf herbs found in meadows, prairies, and grasslands.

例句

The field guide showed photos of each forb growing in the mountain meadow.

forb + location (meadow / prairie / grassland)

After the wildfire, delicate forbs with pink flowers were the first plants to reappear.

plural: forbs + descriptive detail (flowers, colour)

同義詞
  • herb

    wider term that includes both forbs and grasses; forb is a subset of herb

  • broadleaf plant

    describes the same group by leaf shape, but less precise in scientific use

  • wildflower

    everyday term that overlaps, though many wildflowers are forbs

反義詞
  • grass

    the main category that forbs are contrasted with in ecology

  • sedge

    another grass-like plant category that is not a forb

文法句型

forb (singular); forbs (plural)

用法筆記

A technical term used mainly in ecology, botany, and range management. In everyday speech, forbs are usually called 'wildflowers' or 'broadleaf weeds'. The contrast with grass is the key feature: grasses have narrow, hollow stems and parallel-veined leaves, while forbs have solid stems and net-veined leaves.

常見錯誤

❌Wheat and corn are common forbs grown for food.
✅Wheat and corn are grasses, not forbs.
💡Forbs are broadleaf plants; cereal crops belong to the grass family (Poaceae), which is the opposite category.