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Glite Dictionary
Cliftonia monophylla

Cliftonia monophylla

9.9
A small tree with glossy leaves and fragrant white flowers found in wet coastal areas
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cliftonia monophylla
  • The wetlands were dotted with Cliftonia monophylla, their white flowers adding fragrance to the air.

Examples

  • Gardeners value Cliftonia monophylla for its glossy foliage and ornamental blooms.

  • Botanists studied the distribution of Cliftonia monophylla along the Gulf Coast.

  • The Cliftonia monophylla is often found in wetlands.

  • Have you seen a Cliftonia monophylla in bloom?

  • Botanists studied the distribution of Cliftonia monophylla along the Gulf Coast.

  • Gardeners value Cliftonia monophylla for its glossy foliage and ornamental blooms.

  • The wetlands were dotted with Cliftonia monophylla, their white flowers adding fragrance to the air.

Synonyms

titi
vsCliftonia monophylla
  • US
1 9.9

A North American tree with fragrant white flowers that grows in wet or coastal areas

is limited to the southeastern coastal area rather than a continent-wide range
buckwheat tree
vsCliftonia monophylla
  • US
9.6

A tree from the southeastern United States with glossy leaves and clusters of white scented flowers

is the formal scientific name for that same tree rather than the common name

Surface Forms

Cliftonia monophylla singular
Cliftonia monophylla plural

Morphology

Cliftonia + monophylla

This is a taxonomic binomial combining the genus name 'Cliftonia' with the species epithet 'monophylla'; if a learner knows 'Cliftonia' (a type of tree) and the constituent elements of 'monophylla' (mono- = one, -phylla/phyll- = leaf), they can infer it denotes a particular Cliftonia species characterized by its leaves. The name is compositional and descriptive rather than idiomatic, so its meaning is derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The plant name Cliftonia monophylla may be named after a person called Cliftonia and an old Greek word, monophylla, that means 'one leaf'. The monophylla part points to the tree's simple, shiny leaves, and the Cliftonia part likely remembers the person who first found or studied the tree, so the name helps you picture the plant and why it was named.