Mexican fire plant
- noun
- /ˈmɛksɪkən faɪər plænt/
- US
:
nochebuena
- The bright red leaves of the Mexican fire plant add color to winter gardens.
Examples
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Many people use a Mexican fire plant as a festive decoration during the holiday season.
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Botanists often refer to the Mexican fire plant by its scientific name, Euphorbia pulcherrima.
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The Mexican fire plant is popular during the holiday season.
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Many people decorate their homes with Mexican fire plants.
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Many people use a Mexican fire plant as a festive decoration during the holiday season.
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The bright red leaves of the Mexican fire plant add color to winter gardens.
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The Mexican fire plant thrives in various climates, making it a favorite choice for gardeners.
Synonyms
3
7.0
A tropical plant with bright red leaves that people put on tables at Christmas
A flowering plant with bright red, leaf-like parts often grown in gardens
A plant with bright red flower clusters that grows in the southern United States and eastern Mexico
A tropical plant with bright red leaves and poisonous milky sap
A tropical American plant with poisonous sap and bright red leaf-like bracts surrounding small yellow flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase composes clear elements: 'Mexican' (origin) + 'fire' (descriptive, here indicating a fiery/red appearance) + 'plant' (a living organism). A B1 learner who knows these words will reasonably infer it denotes a Mexican plant with bright/fiery red foliage (the poinsettia), so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Mexican fire plant gets its name from where it grows in Mexico, so Mexican, and from its bright red leaves that look like flames, so fire. That's why the name refers to the red, festive plant we also call 'poinsettia'.