Aegilops triuncalis

9.9

A wild grass that has become a weed with sharp seeds that can hurt sheep and cattle

noun

Specialized

: Aegilops triuncalis

Farmers are concerned about the spread of Aegilops triuncalis because its seeds can harm sheep and cattle.

Examples

Efforts to control Aegilops triuncalis focus on preventing its sharp-pointed seeds from contaminating pastures.
Aegilops triuncalis has become an invasive weed in parts of California's grasslands.
Aegilops triuncalis is commonly referred to as barbed goatgrass.
Farmers are concerned about Aegilops triuncalis invading their fields.
Aegilops triuncalis is a problematic weed because its sharp seeds can injure livestock when they graze on infested pastures.
To protect their animals, farmers must monitor areas where Aegilops triuncalis grows, as its seeds can cause painful injuries.
In the fields, Aegilops triuncalis poses a danger to grazing livestock due to its barbed seeds that can become lodged in their mouths.

Synonyms

goat grass

vsAegilops triuncalis

9.8

A European grass that grows as a weed and has sharp seeds that can injure farm animals that eat it

is the scientific species name for the same grass

Surface Forms

Aegilops triuncalis singular

Aegilops triuncalis plural

Morphology

Aegilops + triuncalis

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species epithet) functioning as a proper name for a specific plant; the species element 'triuncalis' is not a regular English word and does not transparently encode the common meaning 'barbed goatgrass'. Even if a learner knows 'Aegilops' as a grass genus, the full referent and properties of the species cannot be derived from the constituents, so the expression is not compositional for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Aegilops triuncalis may come from old words that link Aegilops to 'goat' and triuncalis to 'three points'. That image helps: the grass has sharp, barbed seeds with pointy tips that stick to or can hurt animals, so the name and the common name 'barbed goatgrass' remind us it is a harmful weed.