apple of Peru
- noun
:
manzana de Perú
- Children should never touch the apple of Peru because all parts of the plant are toxic.
Examples
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She recognized the apple of Peru by its distinctive trumpet-shaped blossoms and prickly seed pods.
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The garden was invaded by apple of Peru, which quickly outgrew the other flowers.
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The apple of Peru can grow up to six feet tall.
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Have you ever seen an apple of Peru in bloom?
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Children should never touch the apple of Peru because all parts of the plant are toxic.
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She recognized the apple of Peru by its distinctive trumpet-shaped blossoms and prickly seed pods.
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The garden was invaded by apple of Peru, which quickly outgrew the other flowers.
Synonyms
A rough South American plant grown for its blue-and-white flowers and lantern-like fruits
A South American herb with blue and white flowers and a papery round fruit
Surface Forms
Morphology
apple + of + Peru
The phrase literally reads as 'an apple from Peru' and the 'of' construction signals origin, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely infer it's a plant/fruit associated with Peru. However, the specialised botanical sense (a specific tall, toxic/invasive plant rather than a literal edible apple) and its properties are not predictable from the constituents, so the meaning is only partially derivable.
Etymology
Apple of Peru comes from a simple image: early visitors saw the plant's round, swollen seed pods that looked like little apples and knew the plant came from Peru. So today apple of Peru names the tall, strong-smelling plant that is often 'poisonous' and can take over gardens.
