Vaccaria hispanica
- noun
- UK
:
Vaccaria hispanica
- Gardeners sometimes cultivate Vaccaria hispanica for its delicate, rose-colored blooms.
Examples
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Vaccaria hispanica often grows wild in European grainfields and roadsides.
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You may also find Vaccaria hispanica listed under the common name 'cowherb' in plant guides.
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The Vaccaria hispanica blooms beautifully in the summer.
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Farmers often find Vaccaria hispanica growing in their fields.
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Vaccaria hispanica is commonly found in grainfields across Europe, where it adds color to the landscape.
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Many people choose to grow Vaccaria hispanica in their gardens for its attractive pale rose-colored flowers.
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The delicate flowers of Vaccaria hispanica attract a variety of pollinators during the summer months.
Synonyms
An annual plant from Europe with pale pink flowers often grown in gardens and sometimes a weed
A small European plant with pale pink flowers often grown in gardens or found in grain fields
A European annual plant with pale pink flowers often grown in gardens or a weed in grain fields
A small European annual plant with pale pink flowers that often grows as a weed in grain fields
Surface Forms
Morphology
Vaccaria + hispanica
This is a scientific (Linnaean) binomial combining the genus name Vaccaria with the Latin epithet hispanica (lit. 'of/from Spain'), so if a learner knows the genus and recognises the epithet as a locational adjective they can infer it names a particular plant species. However, species epithets are Latin and taxonomic naming is not a standard English compositional pattern, so many B1 learners—even if they know the parts as isolated words—would not reliably derive the full referential meaning without some background in scientific names.
Etymology
Vaccaria hispanica may come from old Latin words: Vaccaria from 'vacca' meaning 'cow', because people once used the plant or its seeds to feed cattle, and hispanica means 'from Spain'. So the name explains why this small wild flower is linked to cows and is also called 'cowherb' today.
