Eichhornia spesiosa
- noun
- Specialized
:
jacinto de agua
- Boaters struggled to make their way through the thick mats of Eichhornia spesiosa on the river.
Examples
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Efforts to control Eichhornia spesiosa have increased due to its impact on water flow.
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The spread of Eichhornia spesiosa has caused severe problems for local fisheries.
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The lake was filled with Eichhornia spesiosa.
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Many fishermen complain about Eichhornia spesiosa obstructing their boats.
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Boaters struggled to make their way through the thick mats of Eichhornia spesiosa on the river.
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Efforts to control Eichhornia spesiosa have increased due to its impact on water flow.
-
Many fishermen complain about Eichhornia spesiosa obstructing their boats.
Synonyms
A tropical water plant with floating leaves and large blue flowers that clogs rivers and lakes
A floating plant with thick leaves and blue or purple flowers that grows fast and blocks rivers
A tropical water plant with round floating leaves and purple flowers
How Invasive
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
4.8
- Specialized
- US
1
5.1
13
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Eichhornia + spesiosa
This is a Latin scientific binomial (a genus + species) where one element is a proper name and the other is not a common English word; knowing the constituent labels does not allow a B1 learner to infer the descriptive meaning (tropical aquatic plant that blocks waterways). Scientific names function as arbitrary labels rather than compositional English phrases, so the semantics are not derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Eichhornia spesiosa is a scientific name made of a person's name and a Latin word: Eichhornia honors a botanist called Eichhorn, and spesiosa means 'beautiful'. The plant grows in thick mats of floating leaves and large blue flowers that can block rivers and stop boats, so the name helps you picture a 'beautiful' but river-blocking water plant.