Main Entry: Ad·an·so·nia

Pronunciation: \ˌad-^ən-ˈsō-nē-ə, ˌad-ˌan-, -nyə\

Function: noun

: a genus of trees (family Bombacaceae) having palmately divided leaves, white pendent flowers, and capsular fruits—see baobab

Adan·son \ȧ-däⁿ-sōⁿ, ˈad-^ən-sən\ , Michel (1727–1806), French naturalist. Adanson played a major, although unrecognized, role in introducing modern statistical methods into systematic botany. In 1763–64 he published Familles des plantes in which he proposed a system of plant classification and nomenclature based on many characters instead of a few selected ones. Although the system enjoyed a period of usage, it was superseded by the Linnaean system.