Emilia sagitta

9.9

A tropical Asian plant that lives for one year and has small red flowers that look like tassels

noun

Specialized

: Emilia sagitta

With its brilliant scarlet flowers, Emilia sagitta quickly became a favorite among horticulturists.

Examples

The gardener planted Emilia sagitta along the border to add vibrant color to the summer garden.
I planted Emilia sagitta in my garden last spring.
Botanists studied Emilia sagitta to better understand its adaptability to tropical climates.
The Emilia sagitta blooms beautifully in the summer.
The gardener planted Emilia sagitta along the border to add vibrant color to the summer garden.
With its brilliant scarlet flowers, Emilia sagitta quickly became a favorite among horticulturists.
Botanists studied Emilia sagitta to better understand its adaptability to tropical climates.

Surface Forms

Emilia sagitta singular

Emilia sagittas plural

Morphology

Emilia + sagitta

This is a Latin binomial: the genus name 'Emilia' signals a plant (so a learner who knows that constituent would infer it refers to a plant), but the specific epithet 'sagitta' is either unknown or does not transparently yield the detailed sense (tropical Asiatic annual with tassel-shaped scarlet flowers). Because the genus gives partial information but the precise species description is not derivable from the parts, the MWE is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Emilia sagitta may come from a woman's name, Emilia, plus the Latin word sagitta, meaning 'arrow', because the bright tassel-like flower heads can look like little red arrows pointing out from the stems. That's why the name now refers to this tropical plant with bright scarlet flowers.