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Alpine enchanter's nightshade

Alpine enchanter's nightshade

9.9
A small plant with white flowers that grows in moist shaded mountain woods
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : hierba de las hadas alpina
  • The delicate flowers of the Alpine enchanter's nightshade can be found in shaded mountain forests.

Examples

  • Hikers often overlook the small, white blossoms of Alpine enchanter's nightshade among the undergrowth.

  • The Alpine enchanter's nightshade thrives in cool, moist woodlands.

  • Botanists were excited to discover a rare patch of Alpine enchanter's nightshade near the glacier.

  • Have you seen the Alpine enchanter's nightshade blooming this spring?

  • The delicate flowers of the Alpine enchanter's nightshade can be found in shaded mountain forests.

  • Hikers often overlook the small, white blossoms of Alpine enchanter's nightshade among the undergrowth.

  • The Alpine enchanter's nightshade thrives in cool, moist woodlands.

Synonyms

Circaea alpina
vsAlpine enchanter's nightshade
  • Specialized
9.9

A small mountain plant with delicate flowers that grows in cool northern areas

is limited to Europe and Asia and mentions moist woodland habitat

Surface Forms

Morphology

alpine + enchanter's + nightshade

The phrase is a transparent adjectival compound: 'alpine' specifies a high-mountain habitat and 'enchanter's nightshade' names a particular plant, so together they indicate the mountain-dwelling variety of that plant. This straightforward composition (adjective + noun phrase) follows regular English naming patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Alpine enchanter's nightshade may come from old folk stories and a simple description: Alpine tells you it grows in the mountains, enchanter's suggests people once thought the plant had a small magic or charm, and nightshade is a common name for plants that grow in shady woods. So the name helps you remember it is a small mountain plant that people once linked to a kind of 'enchantment'.