Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
basket flower

basket flower

9.1
A plant that lives for one year with purple, basket-like flower heads used to decorate gardens
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : flor canasta
  • The garden was filled with the vivid purple blooms of the basket flower in early summer.

Examples

  • She chose to plant a basket flower for its unique basket-like bracts and decorative appeal.

  • Many gardeners appreciate the basket flower for attracting butterflies and adding color to borders.

  • The basket flower blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • I planted several basket flowers in my garden.

  • The garden was filled with the vivid purple blooms of the basket flower in early summer.

  • Many gardeners appreciate the basket flower for attracting butterflies and adding color to borders.

  • She chose to plant a basket flower for its unique basket-like bracts and decorative appeal.

Synonyms

Centaurea americana
vsbasket flower
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that lives one year with purple flower heads and basket-like leaves below them

is the familiar ornamental name used in everyday or garden contexts

Surface Forms

basket flower singular
basket flowers plural

Morphology

basket + flower

The term is a straightforward noun-noun compound: a type of flower whose heads or bracts resemble a small basket, so the meaning is directly derivable from 'basket' + 'flower'. Descriptive plant names that combine appearance words with 'flower' are common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner knowing both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Basket flower comes from the plant's small bracts that sit around the bloom and look like a tiny basket holding the flower. That's why the name helps you picture the plant and why gardeners grow it as 'a decorative plant'.