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Glite Dictionary
Lepechinia calycina

Lepechinia calycina

9.9
A plant from California that lives for many years with woolly stems and large white flowers called pitcher sage
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Lepechinia calycina
  • Botanists often refer to Lepechinia calycina as pitcher sage due to its distinctive flowers.

Examples

  • Gardeners appreciate Lepechinia calycina for its aromatic foliage and showy white blooms.

  • Lepechinia calycina thrives in the coastal scrub habitats of California's foothills.

  • The Lepechinia calycina blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • I saw a Lepechinia calycina at the botanical garden last week.

  • Lepechinia calycina is a stunning perennial plant with large white flowers that attracts many pollinators.

  • In California's foothills, Lepechinia calycina flourishes alongside other native species.

  • The aromatic leaves of Lepechinia calycina can enhance both garden aesthetics and culinary dishes.

Synonyms

Sphacele calycina
vsLepechinia calycina
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant from California with fuzzy stems and leaves and large white flowers

uses a common name for the same plant rather than only a botanical label
pitcher sage
vsLepechinia calycina
  • Specialized
9.5

A California plant with woolly stems and large white flowers

uses the common label specific to this plant rather than that related name

Surface Forms

Lepechinia calycina singular

Morphology

Lepechinia + calycina

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species). Knowing 'Lepechinia' as a plant genus lets a learner infer the phrase refers to a kind of plant, but the species epithet 'calycina' is not a recognizable English lexical item (and its specific descriptive sense is not provided), so the detailed meaning and attributes are not derivable. Because part of the meaning (that it is a plant species) is transparent but the crucial specific sense is not, the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Lepechinia calycina may be named after a person called Lepechin, while calycina points to the flower's cup-like parts. The flowers and their outer cups look like small pitchers, which is why people call it 'pitcher sage', so the name links to that shape today.