Anagallis tenella

9.9

A small creeping plant with pale pink flowers that grows in wet places

proper noun

Specialized

: Anagallis tenella

She identified the plant as Anagallis tenella by its creeping habit and pale blossoms.

Examples

The moist meadows were dotted with the delicate pink flowers of Anagallis tenella.
The Anagallis tenella blooms beautifully in wetland areas.
Botanists carefully surveyed the wetland to record populations of Anagallis tenella.
Have you seen the Anagallis tenella in the garden?
The moist meadows were dotted with the delicate pink flowers of Anagallis tenella.
She identified the plant as Anagallis tenella by its creeping habit and pale blossoms.
Botanists carefully surveyed the wetland to record populations of Anagallis tenella.

Synonyms

bog pimpernel

vsAnagallis tenella

9.9

A small creeping plant with delicate pink flowers that grows in wet ground

is the formal scientific name used for the same species rather than the everyday name

Surface Forms

Anagallis tenella main

Morphology

Anagallis + tenella

Anagallis tenella is a Latin binomial: the genus name 'Anagallis' signals the category (a flowering herb) while the species epithet 'tenella' is not an ordinary English word but can be descriptive (tenella ~ 'delicate'/'small' in Latin). If a learner knew both components and the Latin epithet meaning, they could infer it is a small/delicate Anagallis, but because the second element is not a familiar English lexical item and species names often function as arbitrary labels, the meaning is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The plant name Anagallis tenella combines the name Anagallis, used for pimpernel plants, with tenella, a Latin word meaning 'delicate' or 'small'. So the name is like calling it the 'delicate pimpernel', which helps you remember it is a small, creeping plant with pale pink flowers in wet places.