It has the branches of the family (4)
I believe the answer is:
tree
'family' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'it has the branches of' is the wordplay.
'it' becomes ''t' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis).
'has' says to put letters next to each other.
'the branches of' becomes 'ree' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
't'+'ree'='TREE'
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tree that I've seen before include "Shoe stretcher" , "famous actor" , "Tall, woody plant" , "Woody growth" , "Tall wooden plant" .)