Erigeron acer
- noun
- Specialized
:
Erigeron acer
- The pale blue flowers of Erigeron acer can be seen blooming from midsummer to early autumn.
Examples
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Gardeners often remove Erigeron acer due to its tendency to spread quickly as a weed.
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Erigeron acer grows abundantly in dry grasslands across Europe and Asia.
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The Erigeron acer blooms beautifully in the spring.
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Have you seen the Erigeron acers in the garden?
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Erigeron acer is often found growing in the wild along roadsides and in open fields.
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The delicate, pale blue flowers of Erigeron acer attract numerous pollinators during the warmer months.
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Many farmers consider Erigeron acer a weed due to its rapid spread in pastures.
Synonyms
A common wild weed with pale blue flowers that grows in dry grass
How Broad
Surface Forms
Morphology
Erigeron + acer
This is a Latin botanical binomial (genus + species) functioning as a proper taxonomic name rather than a compositional English phrase, so the specific meaning 'blue fleabane' and its properties are not inferable from the parts. Even if a learner knew 'Erigeron' as a genus and 'acer' as a Latin element, they would not reliably derive the common name or descriptive information, so it is not transparently interpretable by a B1 learner.
Etymology
Erigeron acer may come from Greek words for 'early' and 'old man' because the plant often makes pale flowers and then white, fuzzy seed heads that look like an old man's beard. The second part, acer, may mean 'sharp' or 'bitter', so the Latin name points to the plant's look and taste.
