Lathyrus maritimus
- noun
- Specialized
:
Lathyrus maritimus
- Lathyrus maritimus stabilizes sandy dunes along the coast with its robust root system.
Examples
-
The distinctive purple flowers of Lathyrus maritimus attract many pollinators during the early summer months.
-
Botanists surveyed the spread of Lathyrus maritimus along the northern seashore after recent storms.
-
Lathyrus maritimus thrives in sandy coastal habitats, helping to prevent erosion with its strong root system.
-
The Lathyrus maritimus thrives in coastal areas.
-
Have you seen the Lathyrus maritimus blooming this season?
-
The bright purple flowers of Lathyrus maritimus can be seen blooming all over the beach.
-
Environmentalists plant Lathyrus maritimus to help restore coastal ecosystems after storms.
Synonyms
A wild pea plant that grows on sandy seashores and holds sand with strong roots
A wild pea plant that grows on sandy seashores, with purple flowers and strong roots that hold sand
A wild plant with purple flowers that grows on sandy coasts and helps hold the sand
Surface Forms
Morphology
Lathyrus + maritimus
The binomial is fully compositional: 'Lathyrus' denotes the pea genus and 'maritimus' is a Latin epithet meaning 'of the sea' (cf. English 'maritime'), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer a seaside/coastal species of Lathyrus. Botanical naming conventions and the clear cross-linguistic cognate 'maritime' make the species meaning predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Lathyrus maritimus comes from two old words: Lathyrus meaning 'pea' and maritimus meaning 'by the sea'. This gives a clear picture of a seaside pea with strong roots that hold the sand, so the name fits a plant that helps keep the sand from washing away.
