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Glite Dictionary
St Andrews's cross

St Andrews's cross

9.9
A small bush with yellow or apricot flowers that have four petals formed like a cross
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : cruz de San Andrés
  • Botanists study the St Andrews's cross for its unique four-petaled blossoms.

Examples

  • In the wildflower garden, the St Andrews's cross added a splash of yellow to the landscape.

  • We discovered a patch of St Andrews's cross growing along the forest edge in Georgia.

  • Look at the St Andrews's cross!

  • The St Andrews's cross blooms beautifully in spring.

  • The bright yellow flowers of the St Andrews's cross create a beautiful contrast against the green foliage.

  • During our hike, we were excited to find a patch of St Andrews's cross with its distinctive four-petaled blooms.

  • The St Andrews's cross is commonly found in the wildflower gardens of the southeastern United States.

Synonyms

Hypericum crux-andrae
vsSt Andrews's cross
  • Specialized
9.9

A small bush with yellow four-petalled flowers in a cross shape often found in the southeastern United States

is the same plant described with slightly different wording
low St Andrew's cross
vsSt Andrews's cross
  • US
9.9

A low plant with yellow flowers that have four petals in a cross

is native mainly to the southeastern United States and not described as low

Surface Forms

St Andrews's cross singular
St Andrews's crosses plural

Morphology

St + Andrews's + cross

The parts 'St' and 'Andrews's' plus 'cross' point to the well-known St Andrew's cross (the X-shaped saltire), so a B1 learner who knows the words could infer something associated with that cross-shape. However, the phrase is a conventionalized proper name for a specific shrubby plant, and knowing the constituents does not reliably indicate that the referent is a plant or convey the floral details, so the relation is only partially predictable.

Etymology

St Andrews's cross is named because each flower has four petals that form an X-shaped cross like the one linked to Saint Andrew. That's why the name points to this 'shrubby plant' with cross-like flowers.