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Glite Dictionary
Butea monosperma

Butea monosperma

9.9
A tree from South Asia with bright orange-red flowers used to make yellow dye
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : Butea monosperma
  • Artisans use the flowers of Butea monosperma to extract natural dyes for fabrics.

Examples

  • The Butea monosperma tree is prized for the brilliant hue of its flowers in spring.

  • Many birds are attracted to the Butea monosperma when it is in full bloom.

  • The Butea monosperma tree blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Many artists use Butea monosperma to create vibrant dyes.

  • Artisans use the flowers of Butea monosperma to extract natural dyes for fabrics.

  • The Butea monosperma tree is prized for the brilliant hue of its flowers in spring.

  • Many artists use Butea monosperma to create vibrant yellow dyes for their artwork.

Synonyms

dak
vsButea monosperma
  • Indian
1 9.9

A tree in India with bright red flowers used to make yellow dye

is the botanical name used in descriptions rather than local or common names
dhak
vsButea monosperma
  • Indian
9.9

A tree from East India with bright orange-red, velvety flowers used to make yellow dye

is the botanical name used instead of regional spellings or variants
palas
vsButea monosperma
  • Indian
9.9

A tree from India with bright red flowers used to make a yellow dye

is the scientific name preferred in formal botanical contexts
Butea frondosa
vsButea monosperma
  • Indian
9.9

A tree from India that has bright orange-red soft flowers and gives a yellow dye

is an alternative botanical name variant rather than a different species name

Surface Forms

Butea monosperma singular
Butea monospermas plural

Morphology

Butea + monosperma

This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a normal English phrase; the species epithet 'monosperma' is built from classical roots ('mono-' 'sperma') and/or a taxonomic convention that B1 learners typically do not know. Even if a learner knows the genus 'Butea', they will not be able to derive the full meaning (e.g., 'single-seeded Butea') from everyday English knowledge, so the expression is not transparently interpretable.

Etymology

Butea monosperma has a scientific name made of two parts: mono meaning 'one' and sperma meaning 'seed'. Because its pods often hold a single seed and it has bright orange flowers used for dye, the name gives a simple picture to help you remember the tree.