Ipomoea nil

9.9

An annual climbing plant with bright, ruffled flowers often grown in gardens

noun

Specialized

: Ipomoea nil

The Ipomoea nil in her garden produced vibrant blue and pink blossoms throughout the summer.

Examples

She planted Ipomoea nil along the fence to enjoy its rapid growth and spectacular flowers.
The garden was full of Ipomoea nil plants blooming beautifully.
Botanists often study Ipomoea nil for its extensive range of flower colors and patterns.
Have you seen the Ipomoea nil in Sarah's garden?
She planted Ipomoea nil along the fence to enjoy its rapid growth and spectacular flowers.
The Ipomoea nil in her garden produced vibrant blue and pink blossoms throughout the summer.
Botanists often study Ipomoea nil for its extensive range of flower colors and patterns.

Synonyms

Japanese morning glory

vsIpomoea nil

5.7

A climbing plant with bright, often frilly, trumpet-shaped flowers

is the scientific name noting Old World tropical origin and wide flower color range

Surface Forms

Ipomoea nil singular

Ipomoea nil plural

Morphology

Ipomoea + nil

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) rather than a compositional English phrase: knowing the genus name 'Ipomoea' and an unclear element 'nil' does not let a B1 learner infer the common meaning 'Japanese morning glory'. Species epithets are essentially arbitrary labels in taxonomic practice and do not follow everyday English composition, so the MWE's meaning is not derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Ipomoea nil is the scientific name for the plant often called the Japanese morning glory; its flowers open with the morning sun and usually close by afternoon. Gardeners plant it to climb fences quickly and show many bright, frilly colors, so the name brings to mind a climbing plant that makes a bright 'morning' show.