Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
- noun
- Specialized
:
hibisco rosa-sinensis
- She potted a Hibiscus rosa-sinensis on her balcony to add a touch of color.
Examples
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Bright red blossoms of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
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The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is often grown as a decorative hedge in tropical gardens.
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The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis blooms beautifully in the summer.
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I planted a Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in my garden last spring.
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Bright red blossoms of the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
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The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is often grown as a decorative hedge in tropical gardens.
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I planted a Hibiscus rosa-sinensis in my garden last spring.
Synonyms
A large tropical shrub with big red flowers grown for its bright blooms
A large bush or small tree with bright red flowers grown for gardens
A large shrub or small tree from Asia with big red flowers
A large shrub or small tree with deep red flowers often grown in gardens
A large shrub or small tree with big red flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
Hibiscus + rosa-sinensis
The binomial is a scientific name: the genus 'Hibiscus' clearly signals it is a hibiscus plant, so a learner who knows that constituent can infer it is a type of flower. However, 'rosa-sinensis' is Latin (not a regular English compound) and its meaning ('China rose') is not predictable to a B1 learner without knowledge of Latin botanical epithets, so the full specific sense is not fully derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis gets its name from the old Greek word Hibiscus and the Latin words rosa, which means 'rose', and sinensis, which means 'from China'. Because people thought the big, bright flowers looked like a 'China rose', the name came to mean the showy tropical shrub we grow in gardens today.
