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Glite Dictionary
Fritillaria micrantha

Fritillaria micrantha

9.9
A small wildflower from California with bell-shaped purple or green flowers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : fritillaria micrantha
  • Photographers travel from afar to capture images of the bell-shaped flowers of Fritillaria micrantha.

Examples

  • Botanists are working to protect Fritillaria micrantha from habitat loss in California.

  • The hillsides were dotted with the rare Fritillaria micrantha during the spring bloom.

  • The Fritillaria micrantha blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • Have you seen the Fritillaria micrantha in the garden?

  • Many gardeners in California love to plant Fritillaria micrantha for its unique bell-shaped flowers.

  • During springtime, you can find Fritillaria micrantha blooming in the wildflower reserves of California.

  • The stunning colors of Fritillaria micrantha attract many visitors to California's botanical gardens.

Synonyms

Fritillaria parviflora
vsFritillaria micrantha
  • Specialized
9.9

A small California plant that has brownish purple or greenish bell-shaped flowers in the lily family

uses a genus-level label instead of naming the broader family
brown bells
vsFritillaria micrantha
  • US
9.9

A small wild plant in California with brownish bell-shaped flowers

identifies the plant by a formal species name rather than a casual description

Surface Forms

Fritillaria micrantha singular
Fritillaria micranthas plural

Morphology

Fritillaria + micrantha

The form 'Fritillaria micrantha' is a taxonomic binomial (genus + specific epithet), so a learner who knows 'Fritillaria' can reasonably infer this is a kind of fritillary (i.e. a species of that plant). However, the epithet 'micrantha' is a Latin/Greek scientific term not found in the dictionary and unlikely to be known by a B1 learner, so the specific descriptive meaning (flower colour/shape) is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Fritillaria micrantha gets its name from older words that describe the flower's look: Fritillaria may come from a word for a small 'dice box' because some fritillary flowers have a checkered bell pattern, and micrantha means 'small flower', so the name helps you picture a small, bell-shaped flower and explains why we call this California species that today.