Senna occidentalis
- noun
- Specialized
:
Senna occidentalis
- The seeds of Senna occidentalis have historically been mixed with coffee as an adulterant.
Examples
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The Senna occidentalis plant has a strong, unpleasant odor.
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Farmers often remove Senna occidentalis to prevent its spread among their crops.
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Senna occidentalis is known for its strong odor and weedy growth in tropical regions.
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Many coffee producers have reported issues with Senna occidentalis seeds.
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The seeds of Senna occidentalis are often used to adulterate coffee, affecting its flavor.
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Farmers need to be cautious of Senna occidentalis because its strong odor can indicate its presence in their fields.
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Due to its unpleasant smell, Senna occidentalis is often considered a problematic plant in tropical gardens.
Synonyms
A tropical shrub with many leaves whose seeds smell bad and people use to make cheap coffee
A leafy tropical shrub with a strong smell whose seeds are sometimes mixed with coffee
A tropical bush with many leaves that smells unpleasant and whose seeds are sometimes mixed with coffee
A tropical shrub whose seeds are sometimes roasted and used as fake coffee
A tropical shrub with a strong unpleasant smell
Surface Forms
Morphology
senna + occidentalis
This is a Latin binomial: 'senna' clearly identifies the genus so a learner who knows that word will recognise it as a plant name, but the epithet 'occidentalis' is a Latin form (not a common English word) and its specific implications (e.g. 'western') and the plant's properties (unpleasant odor, seed use) are not predictable from the parts. As a result the name gives partial information (a particular Senna species) but does not transparently convey the full meaning, making it only partially transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Senna occidentalis combines two name parts: Senna is an old name for a group of plants and occidentalis is a word that means 'western'. So the name literally says 'western senna', a simple image to remember this leafy tropical shrub that is related to other sennas and whose seeds were sometimes mixed into coffee.
