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Glite Dictionary
Ipomoea imperialis

Ipomoea imperialis

9.9
A hybrid morning glory plant that has bright decorative flowers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Ipomoea imperialis
  • The gardener planted several Ipomoea imperialis vines along the fence for their vibrant blooms.

Examples

  • Botanists have studied Ipomoea imperialis for its unique hybrid characteristics.

  • The morning sunlight highlights the beauty of Ipomoea imperialis in full bloom.

  • The Ipomoea imperialis blooms beautifully in the summer.

  • Is the Ipomoea imperialis easy to grow?

  • The gardener planted several Ipomoea imperialis vines along the fence for their vibrant blooms.

  • Botanists have studied Ipomoea imperialis for its unique hybrid characteristics.

  • The morning sunlight highlights the beauty of Ipomoea imperialis in full bloom.

Surface Forms

Ipomoea imperialis singular
Ipomoea imperialis plural

Morphology

Ipomoea + imperialis

The first constituent 'Ipomoea' names a genus of flowering plants, so a learner who knows that would recognize this as a plant name; however 'imperialis' is not a common English word (and its Latin sense 'imperial' does not signal the specific hybrid origin or ornamental qualities). Because the binomial naming convention partially reveals category (a plant) but does not allow a B1 learner to derive the full, specific meaning (a hybrid derived from Ipomoea nil), the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Ipomoea imperialis comes from old Greek and Latin words: Ipomoea refers to a 'worm' because the thin vine twists around a stick like a worm, and imperialis means 'royal' because the large, showy flowers look fit for a king. So the name gives a simple picture of a worm-like vine with very 'royal' flowers.