diff --git a/bigtree/tree/construct/dataframes.py b/bigtree/tree/construct/dataframes.py
index 37c41e18..b64a236a 100644
--- a/bigtree/tree/construct/dataframes.py
+++ b/bigtree/tree/construct/dataframes.py
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ def dataframe_to_tree_by_relation(
     allow_duplicates: bool = False,
     node_type: type[T] = _node.Node,  # type: ignore[assignment]
 ) -> T:
-    """Construct tree from pandas DataFrame using parent and child names, return root of tree.
+    """Construct tree from pandas DataFrame using adjacency list (parent and child names), return root of tree.
 
     Root node is inferred when parent name is empty, or when name appears in parent column but not in child column.
 
@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@ def polars_to_tree_by_relation(
     allow_duplicates: bool = False,
     node_type: type[T] = _node.Node,  # type: ignore[assignment]
 ) -> T:
-    """Construct tree from polars DataFrame using parent and child names, return root of tree.
+    """Construct tree from polars DataFrame using adjacency list (parent and child names), return root of tree.
 
     Root node is inferred when parent name is empty, or when name appears in parent column but not in child column.
 
diff --git a/bigtree/tree/construct/lists.py b/bigtree/tree/construct/lists.py
index 96fec631..6a624dfc 100644
--- a/bigtree/tree/construct/lists.py
+++ b/bigtree/tree/construct/lists.py
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ def list_to_tree_by_relation(
     allow_duplicates: bool = False,
     node_type: type[T] = node.Node,  # type: ignore[assignment]
 ) -> T:
-    """Construct tree from list of tuple containing parent-child names.
+    """Construct tree from an adjacency list; list of tuple containing parent-child names.
 
     Root node is inferred when parent is empty, or when name appears as parent but not as child.