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Glite Dictionary
Cerastium tomentosum

Cerastium tomentosum

9.8
A low plant with soft silver-grey leaves that makes a white carpet of small flowers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cerastium tomentosum
  • After a few seasons, Cerastium tomentosum can spread to form a beautiful white carpet in late spring.

Examples

  • Many gardeners plant Cerastium tomentosum to cover slopes and suppress weeds.

  • The garden border was lined with Cerastium tomentosum, creating a striking edge of silver foliage.

  • The Cerastium tomentosum blooms beautifully in late spring.

  • I planted Cerastium tomentosums in my garden last year.

  • Many gardeners choose Cerastium tomentosum for its ability to create a lovely white flower display in summer.

  • In my garden, Cerastium tomentosum thrives with its silver-grey leaves and beautiful blooms.

  • The low-growing Cerastium tomentosum adds a carpet of white flowers to the landscape during the warmer months.

Synonyms

snow-in-summer
vsCerastium tomentosum
9.5

A low garden plant with clusters of white flowers that is sometimes poisonous

is a specific low-growing perennial with hairy silver-grey leaves and large white flowers

Surface Forms

Cerastium tomentosum singular
Cerastium tomentosums plural

Morphology

Cerastium + tomentosum

This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a compositional English phrase; the species epithet 'tomentosum' is a Latin form not a common English word, and the overall label functions as a proper name for a plant. Even if parts hint at 'hairy' to those familiar with botanical Latin, an average B1 learner who knows the listed constituent words would not reliably derive the everyday meaning ('snow-in-summer') or recognize it as a plant name, so it is not transparently interpretable.

Etymology

Cerastium tomentosum tells you how the plant looks: the part tomentosum comes from Latin for 'wool' and points to its soft, hairy silver-grey leaves. Its many white flowers can cover the ground like 'snow-in-summer', so the name helps you remember it is a low-growing plant with hairy silver-grey leaves and white blooms.