Onobrychis viciaefolia
- noun
- UK
:
Onobrychis viciaefolia
- The fields were bright with the pale pink flowers of Onobrychis viciaefolia in early summer.
Examples
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Beekeepers in the region rely on Onobrychis viciaefolia as an important source of nectar.
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Farmers in Britain often cultivate Onobrychis viciaefolia for livestock.
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Onobrychis viciaefolia is widely grown for animal fodder due to its high nutritional value.
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The Onobrychis viciaefolia blooms beautifully in spring.
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Onobrychis viciaefolia is widely grown for animal fodder due to its high nutritional value.
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Beekeepers in the region rely on Onobrychis viciaefolia as an important source of nectar.
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Farmers in Britain often cultivate Onobrychis viciaefolia for livestock.
Synonyms
A plant with pale pink flowers that farmers grow for animal feed and to attract bees
A flowering plant that lives many years and farmers grow to feed animals and attract bees
A plant with pale pink flowers and curved pods grown for animal feed and honey
A plant that lives for many years and is grown for animal feed and for bees
A small plant that lives for many years with pale pink pea flowers grown for animal feed and honey
Surface Forms
Morphology
Onobrychis + viciaefolia
This is a Latin botanical binomial (a scientific species name) rather than a compositional English phrase; the constituent parts are technical Latin morphemes (the second element is not even found in the dictionary), so a B1 learner who 'knows' the listed constituents would not be able to derive the meaning. Scientific names function as proper nouns and are language-specific/technical, making the referent (a particular perennial herb) unpredictable from the parts for average learners.
Etymology
Onobrychis viciaefolia comes from old words that describe the plant: Onobrychis roughly means 'donkey chew' and viciaefolia means 'vetch-like leaves'. So, because animals eat it and bees love its flowers, the name points to its use as 'animal fodder' and a good source of 'nectar'.
