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Glite Dictionary
Iris filifolia

Iris filifolia

9.8
A small bulb plant with red-violet flowers that grows in Spain
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Iris filifolia
  • Many gardeners love the Iris filifolia for its vibrant red-violet flowers.

Examples

  • Botanists studied the natural habitat of Iris filifolia during their trip to Spain.

  • The gardener planted several Iris filifolia bulbs to add color to the spring borders.

  • A rare variety of Iris filifolia bloomed earlier than expected this year.

  • The Iris filifolia blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • Many gardeners love the Iris filifolia for its vibrant colors.

  • The gardener planted several Iris filifolia bulbs to add color to the spring borders.

  • A rare variety of Iris filifolia bloomed earlier than expected this year.

Surface Forms

Iris filifolia singular
Iris filifolias plural

Morphology

iris + filifolia

This is a Latin binomial: 'Iris' clearly identifies the genus (a type of flower), so a learner who knows 'iris' can infer it names a kind of iris, but 'filifolia' is a Latin epithet not found in the dictionary and its literal sense ('thread‑leaved') is unlikely to be known by a B1 learner. The overall category (a species of iris) is therefore predictable from the parts, while the specific descriptive meaning is not transparently derivable.

Etymology

Iris filifolia comes from two old words: Iris, the Greek word for 'rainbow' and for the flower, and filifolia, the Latin phrase for 'thread-like leaves'. So the name gives a clear picture of a small iris with thin, thread-like leaves and bright red-violet flowers, which is why it fits this Spanish species.