Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Raoulia lutescens

Raoulia lutescens

9.9
A low plant that forms woolly mats and lives for many years in New Zealand
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Raoulia lutescens
  • The foliage of Raoulia lutescens forms dense mats across rocky ground.

Examples

  • Botanists appreciate Raoulia lutescens for its distinctive woolly appearance.

  • The Raoulia lutescens thrives in New Zealand's alpine regions.

  • Raoulia lutescens thrives in the alpine regions of New Zealand.

  • Have you seen the Raoulia lutescens in the botanical garden?

  • Raoulia lutescens flourishes in the harsh climates of New Zealand's mountains.

  • The unique, woolly texture of Raoulia lutescens makes it a favorite among gardeners.

  • You can find Raoulia lutescens growing in the rocky soils of New Zealand's alpine meadows.

Synonyms

sheep plant
vsRaoulia lutescens
  • New Zealand
9.8

A small New Zealand plant with thick hairy leaves that form mats on the ground

is longer lived and has hoary woolly foliage rather than just hairy leaves
vegetable sheep
vsRaoulia lutescens
  • New Zealand
9.9

A small plant with thick woolly leaves that looks like a sheep from far away

is a mat-forming perennial herb rather than only a sheep-like plant

Surface Forms

Raoulia lutescens singular
Raoulia lutescens plural

Morphology

Raoulia + lutescens

This is a Latin binomial (a taxonomic proper name) rather than a compositional English phrase; knowing the genus label 'Raoulia' might suggest a plant but provides little about its traits, and the epithet 'lutescens' is obscure or dictionary-unlisted for learners. Species names function as arbitrary labels across languages and do not transparently convey the descriptive meaning 'perennial, mat-forming herb with woolly foliage', so a B1 learner would not be able to derive the definition from the parts.

Etymology

Raoulia lutescens may be named after a plant collector called Raoul, and lutescens is Latin for 'becoming yellow'. That is easy to remember because this low, woolly herb has pale, yellowish leaves and makes dense mats on rocky ground.