Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Prince-of-Wales feather

Prince-of-Wales feather

9.9
A New Zealand fern with divided leaves and very hairy stalks
  • noun
  • New Zealand
translation icon : pluma del Príncipe de Gales
  • The Prince-of-Wales feather is known for its distinctive, pinnate fronds and woolly stalks.

Examples

  • The Prince-of-Wales feather thrives in the damp forests of New Zealand.

  • She admired the unique shape of the Prince-of-Wales feather in the botanical garden.

  • Botanists disagree about whether to classify the Prince-of-Wales feather in the genus Todea.

  • The Prince-of-Wales feather is a unique plant native to New Zealand.

  • I saw a beautiful Prince-of-Wales feather in the botanical garden.

  • In New Zealand, the Prince-of-Wales feather can often be found in lush, damp forests.

  • During her visit to the botanical garden, she was captivated by the Prince-of-Wales feather plant's unique appearance.

Synonyms

Todea superba
vsPrince-of-Wales feather
  • Specialized
9.9

A large fern from New Zealand with feathery leaves and woolly stems

is the common name used instead of the scientific label
Prince-of-Wales plume
vsPrince-of-Wales feather
  • New Zealand
9.9

A New Zealand fern with divided leaves and hairy stems

is a variant common name rather than a scientific term
Prince-of-Wales fern
vsPrince-of-Wales feather
  • New Zealand
9.9

A fern from New Zealand with feathery leaves and a hairy stalk

uses a slightly different common name form rather than scientific naming
Leptopteris superba
vsPrince-of-Wales feather
  • Specialized
9.9

A fern from New Zealand with divided leaves and woolly stems

is the common name choice instead of that alternate scientific label
crape fern
vsPrince-of-Wales feather
  • New Zealand
9.9

A fern from New Zealand with divided leaves and very woolly stalks

is a different common label rather than a scientific designation

Surface Forms

Prince-of-Wales feather singular
Prince-of-Wales feathers plural

Morphology

Prince-of-Wales + feather

This is a fixed proper-name for a plant rather than a compositional description; a B1 learner who knows 'Prince', 'Wales' and 'feather' would likely interpret it as a literal feather associated with the Prince of Wales or an emblem, not as a New Zealand fern. The botanical meaning is language- and culture-specific (a conventional common name) and is therefore not predictable from the constituent words.

Etymology

Prince-of-Wales feather may come from the way the fern's long, divided leaves look like a large feather, similar to the three feathers used in the 'Prince of Wales' badge. So the name helps you picture the plant's feather-like shape.