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Glite Dictionary
Alisma plantago-aquatica

Alisma plantago-aquatica

9.9
A water plant with broad leaves and small white or pink flowers that grows in marshes and shallow water
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Alisma plantago-aquatica
  • The broad, pointed leaves of Alisma plantago-aquatica make it easy to identify among other marsh plants.

Examples

  • Alisma plantago-aquatica can often be found growing along the edges of slow-moving streams and ponds.

  • Botanists recorded the first flowering of Alisma plantago-aquatica at the nature reserve last summer.

  • The Alisma plantago-aquatica thrives in wetland areas.

  • Have you seen the Alisma plantago-aquatica blooming this season?

  • Alisma plantago-aquatica is often found in marshes, where its broad leaves and delicate flowers thrive in shallow waters.

  • During our nature walk, we spotted Alisma plantago-aquatica growing near the pond, distinguished by its clusters of white flowers.

  • The striking appearance of Alisma plantago-aquatica with its pinkish blooms makes it a common sight in wetlands.

Synonyms

water plantain
vsAlisma plantago-aquatica
  • Specialized
7.6

A plant with broad leaves and small white or pink flowers that grows in wet places

is the formal scientific name used in botanical or academic contexts

Surface Forms

Alisma plantago-aquatica singular
Alisma plantago-aquaticas plural

Morphology

Alisma + plantago-aquatica

This is a Linnaean binomial combining a genus name (Alisma) with a descriptive species epithet (plantago-aquatica). The epithet transparently signals 'plantain' (plantago) and 'aquatic' (aquatica), so a learner who knows those constituent meanings can infer 'water plantain' (an aquatic plant). Such scientific names are compositionally built and often cross-linguistically recognizable through cognates like 'aquatic', making the overall meaning clear.

Etymology

Alisma plantago-aquatica may come from old Greek and Latin words meaning 'water' and 'plantain'. Alisma was used for a water plant and plantago-aquatica means 'plantain of the water' because its broad leaves look like a plantain and it grows in shallow water, so the name describes the plant you see today.