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Glite Dictionary
Tofieldia pusilla

Tofieldia pusilla

9.9
A small mountain plant with spikes of white flowers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Tofieldia pusilla
  • The delicate white flowers of Tofieldia pusilla appear in late spring above its grass-like leaves.

Examples

  • I found a beautiful Tofieldia pusilla while hiking in the Alps.

  • Botanists were excited to document a new population of Tofieldia pusilla in the Alps.

  • Tofieldia pusilla thrives in the cold, damp meadows of the Scandinavian mountains.

  • The Tofieldia pusilla blooms in late spring.

  • The delicate white flowers of Tofieldia pusilla attract many bees and butterflies during the summer.

  • While exploring the high-altitude trails, I came across a cluster of Tofieldia pusilla growing near a small stream.

  • In the remote valleys of Europe, Tofieldia pusilla can often be seen thriving amidst rocky terrain.

Synonyms

false asphodel
vsTofieldia pusilla
9.9

A plant that has long thin leaves at the base and small white flowers on a stem

emphasizes a small perennial mountain plant with white flower spikes

Surface Forms

Tofieldia pusilla singular
Tofieldia pusillas plural

Morphology

Tofieldia + pusilla

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) combining a genus proper name and a Latin epithet; a B1 learner who knows the English words would not automatically know botanical naming conventions or the Latin sense of 'pusilla'. The genus 'Tofieldia' conveys no transparent English meaning and 'pusilla' is undefined here, so the overall plant identity and characteristics cannot be derived from the parts.

Etymology

The plant Tofieldia pusilla takes its name from a person and a Latin word: Tofieldia is 'named after' a plant collector called Tofield, and pusilla means 'very small' in Latin. So the name is like 'Tofield's little plant', which fits this tiny mountain flower.