Arabidopsis thaliana
- noun
- /ˌærəˈbɪdɒp.tɪs θəˈliː.ən.ə/
- Specialized
:
Arabidopsis thaliana
- The small flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana is frequently studied for its rapid growth and simple genetic structure.
- a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana
Examples
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She uses a tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana to search for hyperaccumulating and excluding plants.
Academic text (1995) -
In 2001, scientists sequenced the genome of a plant named Arabidopsis thaliana.
Academic text (2002) -
"If you compare the protein products of these three plant genes," Baker says, "they look very similar." One protein is produced by a gene from a mustard-like plant called Arabidopsis thaliana.
Academic text (1995) -
Peripheral oscillators in the weed Arabidopsis thaliana can also be entrained directly by light, through at least seven different photoreceptors, and probably more.
Academic text (2005) -
Finally, the eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana and the basal angiosperm Amborella were included to provide outgroups for comparison.
Academic text (2017) -
Scientists often use Arabidopsis thaliana in research to understand plant genetics.
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In many biology classes, students learn about Arabidopsis thaliana because it is a common model organism.
Synonyms
A small plant with tiny white flowers that scientists often use in plant research
Surface Forms
Morphology
Arabidopsis + thaliana
This is a Latin binomial (scientific species name) rather than a semantic phrase: 'thaliana' is not a regular English word and the combination functions as a proper name for a specific plant. Even if a learner knows 'Arabidopsis' as a genus, the full meaning ('a small model flowering plant of the mustard family') is not derivable from the constituents, so the expression is idiomatic/nominal rather than compositionally transparent.
Etymology
Arabidopsis thaliana is the Latin name for a tiny, low-growing cress often called 'thale cress'. Scientists use this name so people around the world know it means that small 'model plant' used in many labs.
