Saccharum officinarum

8.4

A tall grass with thick stems whose juice is used to make sugar

noun
/sæˈkɛrəm əˌfɪnɪˈnɑrəm/

Specialized

: caña de azúcar

The juice extracted from Saccharum officinarum is processed into raw sugar in many countries.

Examples

The fields were filled with rows of Saccharum officinarum ready for harvest.
Farmers in Thailand grow Saccharum officinarum for sugar production.
Researchers studied the disease resistance of Saccharum officinarum in varying climates.
The Saccharum officinarum thrives in tropical climates.
Farmers in Thailand grow Saccharum officinarum for sugar production.
The juice extracted from Saccharum officinarum is processed into raw sugar in many countries.
The fields were filled with rows of Saccharum officinarum ready for harvest.

Synonyms

sugar cane

vsSaccharum officinarum

12 2.0

A tall tropical plant with thick sweet stalks used to make sugar

is the formal botanical name noting native origin and species identity

sugarcane

vsSaccharum officinarum

11 1.3

A tall tropical grass with thick, sweet stems people grow to make sugar

is the formal botanical name used to identify the species rather than the everyday name

Surface Forms

Saccharum officinarum singular

Saccharum officinarums plural

Morphology

Saccharum + officinarum

This is a Latin binomial (taxonomic) name rather than a compositional English phrase, so its referent (‘sugarcane’) is not derivable from everyday English knowledge. The second element 'officinarum' is not an English lexical item (and appears as a Latin/formal epithet), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words in English would not reliably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Saccharum officinarum comes from old Latin words: saccharum means 'sugar' and officinarum means 'from the shop' where medicines were kept. So the name is like calling it the 'sugar plant', which helps explain why this tall grass is the main source of sugar today.