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Glite Dictionary
Protea mellifera

Protea mellifera

9.9
A shrub with flowers that make a lot of nectar for bees to make honey
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : protea melífera
  • The Protea mellifera is commonly cultivated for its abundant honey production.

Examples

  • The blossoms of Protea mellifera attract large numbers of bees during flowering season.

  • Many beekeepers in the region plant Protea mellifera to support their hives.

  • The Protea mellifera is known for its sweet nectar.

  • Many bees are attracted to Protea mellifera flowers.

  • Many beekeepers in the region plant Protea mellifera to support their hives.

  • The Protea mellifera is commonly cultivated for its abundant honey production.

  • The blossoms of Protea mellifera attract large numbers of bees during flowering season.

Synonyms

honeyflower
vsProtea mellifera
  • Australian
9.4

A small Australian plant with flowers that make a lot of sweet nectar for bees

produces a large amount of honey instead of just nectar

Surface Forms

Protea mellifera singular
Protea melliferas plural

Morphology

Protea + mellifera

This is a taxonomic binomial whose parts are compositional: Protea (a genus of shrubs) + mellifera (from Latin melli- ‘honey’ + -fera ‘bearing’), so a learner who knows both constituents can directly infer ‘a Protea that produces honey or abundant nectar’. However, mellifera is a Latin scientific epithet not usually found in learners' dictionaries, so in practice many B1 learners would not recognize the second element despite the transparent morphology.

Etymology

Protea mellifera is a shrub with flowers full of nectar that attract large numbers of bees. Its second name, mellifera, even means 'honey-bearing', so beekeepers plant it to feed their hives and that's why the plant is known for producing a lot of honey.