Mirabilis longiflora

9.9

A leafy wildflower with long white or pale pink trumpet-shaped flowers that smell sweet in the evening

noun

Specialized

: Mirabilis longiflora

The garden was filled with the sweet scent of blooming Mirabilis longiflora in the evening.

Examples

Botanists documented the rare white variety of Mirabilis longiflora found in northern Mexico.
The Mirabilis longiflora blooms beautifully in the desert.
Mirabilis longiflora thrives in arid regions and adds beauty to desert landscapes.
Have you seen a Mirabilis longiflora in the wild?
The garden was filled with the sweet scent of blooming Mirabilis longiflora in the evening.
Botanists documented the rare white variety of Mirabilis longiflora found in northern Mexico.
Mirabilis longiflora thrives in arid regions and adds beauty to desert landscapes.

Synonyms

sweet four o'clock

vsMirabilis longiflora

9.9

A leafy wildflower with sweet-smelling white or pale pink trumpet flowers that blooms late afternoon

focuses on the plant having fragrant, slender, trumpet-shaped flowers

Surface Forms

Mirabilis longiflora singular

Mirabilis longiflora plural

Morphology

Mirabilis + longiflora

The epithet 'longiflora' is transparently analyzable as Latin roots meaning 'long-flowered' (longi- = long, -flora = flower), so the overall phrase describes a plant with long flowers and the meaning can be derived if a learner recognizes these roots. However, because this is a Latin binomial and 'longiflora' is not a common English word (and many B1 learners lack knowledge of Latin/Greek morphemes), the interpretation is only partially predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The name Mirabilis longiflora comes from Latin words that describe the plant: Mirabilis means 'wonderful' and longiflora means 'long flower'. That image of a 'wonderful long flower' helps explain why the name fits a wildflower with long, sweet-smelling trumpet-shaped blooms.