Pteris multifida
- noun
- Specialized
- Many gardeners appreciate Pteris multifida for its delicate, finely divided fronds.
Examples
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The garden center had several pots of Pteris multifida on display for houseplant enthusiasts.
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After being introduced to new environments, Pteris multifida has naturalized in some parts of America.
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The Pteris multifida thrives in shady areas.
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I bought a Pteris multifida for my garden.
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Many gardeners appreciate Pteris multifida for its attractive, finely divided fronds.
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The garden center featured vibrant pots of Pteris multifida, perfect for adding greenery indoors.
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In coastal areas, Pteris multifida can thrive, creating lush, ornamental displays in gardens.
Synonyms
A fern with delicate divided leaves often grown in shady gardens
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pteris + multifida
This is a Linnaean binomial: 'Pteris' explicitly identifies a fern genus, so a learner who knows that constituent can infer the phrase denotes a species of fern. However 'multifida' is a Latin epithet (not attested in the learner dictionary here) whose precise descriptive sense ('many‑divided') is not transparently accessible to a B1 learner, so the full meaning is only partially recoverable.
Etymology
Pteris multifida comes from old Greek and Latin words: Pteris means 'feather' and multifida means 'many parts'. The picture of a 'feather' with 'many parts' helps explain the fern's many thin, divided leaves, so the name describes the plant today.