Ornithogalum umbellatum
- noun
- Specialized
:
Ornithogalum umbellatum
- Botanists identified the wildflowers as Ornithogalum umbellatum due to their distinct star-shaped blossoms.
Examples
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The garden was filled with blooming Ornithogalum umbellatum in early spring.
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Some people consider Ornithogalum umbellatum an invasive species in local habitats.
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The Ornithogalum umbellatum blooms beautifully in spring.
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Have you seen the Ornithogalum umbellatum in the garden?
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The garden was filled with blooming Ornithogalum umbellatum in early spring.
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Some people consider Ornithogalum umbellatum an invasive species in local habitats.
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Botanists identified the wildflowers as Ornithogalum umbellatum due to their distinct star-shaped blossoms.
Synonyms
15
9.1
A plant with white, star-shaped flowers that grows back each year
1
8.6
A small plant with narrow leaves and white flowers that look like stars
A small plant with grasslike leaves and white star-shaped flowers
A European plant with narrow leaves and clusters of small white star-shaped flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
Ornithogalum + umbellatum
This is a scientific Latin binomial (a proper name) rather than a compositional English phrase, and one constituent ('umbellatum') is not an English word; knowing English words will not let a B1 learner derive the botanical meaning. Species names function as arbitrary labels across languages, so the overall meaning is not predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Ornithogalum umbellatum may come from old Greek words: ornitho meaning 'bird' and galum meaning 'milk', so people called it 'bird's milk' for its bright white flowers. The word umbellatum refers to the round 'umbrella' shape of its flower clusters, so the name helps you picture the small white, star-shaped plant we mean today.