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Glite Dictionary
Calochortus elegans

Calochortus elegans

9.9
A small wild flower in the northwest United States with thin curved stems and white star-shaped blooms
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Calochortus elegans
  • The blooming Calochortus elegans added a delicate beauty to the mountain meadow.

Examples

  • We spotted several Calochortus elegans during our hike through northeastern Oregon.

  • Botanists are studying the distribution of Calochortus elegans in Montana's grasslands.

  • The Calochortus elegans blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • Have you ever seen a Calochortus elegans in the wild?

  • The blooming Calochortus elegans added a delicate beauty to the mountain meadow.

  • We spotted several Calochortus elegans during our hike through northeastern Oregon.

  • Botanists are studying the distribution of Calochortus elegans in Montana's grasslands.

Synonyms

elegant cat's ears
vsCalochortus elegans
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant with thin bent stems and white star-shaped flowers

is the formal scientific name for the same plant
star tulip
vsCalochortus elegans
  • US
8.7

A small wild plant with white star-shaped flowers

is the botanical name for that identical species

Surface Forms

Calochortus elegans singular
Calochortus elegans plural

Morphology

Calochortus + elegans

This is a Latin binomial (genus + specific epithet): if a learner knows 'Calochortus' is a genus of bulbous, tulip-like herbs and understands 'elegans' as ‘elegant’, they can infer it names a species of Calochortus with an elegant appearance, so the plant sense is partly derivable. However, as a proper taxonomic name it primarily functions as a label rather than a freely compositional phrase, and many learners will not know the genus or Latin epithet, so the meaning is not fully predictable.

Etymology

Calochortus elegans comes from Greek and Latin: the first part Calochortus comes from words that mean 'beautiful' and 'grass', and the second part elegans means 'elegant'. So the name paints a simple picture of an 'elegant' little flower in the grass, which fits this plant's delicate, star-shaped blooms.