Veronica officinalis
- noun
- Specialized
:
Verónica officinalis
- Gardeners appreciate Veronica officinalis for its attractive, pale blue flowers.
Examples
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The leaves of Veronica officinalis are sometimes used to make herbal tea.
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We found Veronica officinalis growing wild in the meadow during our walk.
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Look at the Veronica officinalis!
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The Veronica officinalis is beautiful.
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Gardeners appreciate Veronica officinalis for its attractive, pale blue flowers.
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The leaves of Veronica officinalis are sometimes used to make herbal tea.
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We found Veronica officinalis growing wild in the meadow during our walk.
Synonyms
A small hairy plant that lives for many years with pale blue or lilac flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a botanical Latin binomial combining the genus name 'Veronica' with the epithet 'officinalis' (meaning plants with medicinal uses). A learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a species of Veronica associated with medicinal properties, but the full botanical details (commonality, perennial habit, European distribution, specific morphology) are not conveyed by the parts alone and taxonomic naming conventions may be unfamiliar, so the relation is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Veronica officinalis got its name by joining a woman's name and a word for medicine. The name Veronica links to an old story about a woman whose cloth showed a 'true image', and officinalis means 'used in old medicine shops', so the full name tells us this plant was used for healing and herbal tea.
