Bomarea salsilla
- noun
- Specialized
- The roots of Bomarea salsilla are sometimes cooked and eaten as a potato substitute in Colombia.
Examples
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Botanists admire the striking purple umbels produced by Bomarea salsilla.
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Bomarea salsilla thrives in tropical environments and is valued for both its flowers and edible tubers.
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The Bomarea salsilla is often found in the lush forests of Colombia.
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Have you ever tried Bomarea salsilla as a potato substitute?
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The roots of Bomarea salsilla are sometimes cooked and eaten as a potato substitute in Colombia.
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Bomarea salsilla thrives in tropical environments and is valued for both its flowers and edible tubers.
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Botanists admire the striking purple umbels produced by Bomarea salsilla.
Synonyms
A tropical plant with roots you can eat like a potato
A vine from the West Indies and northern South America with pink and yellow spotted flowers and edible roots
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a taxonomic binomial combining a genus name (Bomarea) and a species epithet (salsilla); knowing the constituent definitions (a tropical vining plant and a vine with potato-like roots) directly yields the combined meaning. Botanical names are compositional and follow predictable naming logic across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both parts can infer the MWE's referent.
Etymology
The plant name Bomarea salsilla may come from the plant group name Bomarea and a Spanish word salsilla that sounds like 'salsa' or 'sauce', because people sometimes cook its edible roots. So the name helps you remember a purple-flowered vine whose roots can be eaten like a potato.
