blue fleabane

9.5

A common wild weed with pale blue flowers that grows in dry grass

noun

: fleabane azul

In late summer, the blue fleabane blooms with clusters of pale blue flowers.

Examples

The field was dotted with blue fleabane, adding a subtle splash of color to the dry grass.
Gardeners often remove blue fleabane because it spreads quickly and can overtake other plants.
I spotted a lovely blue fleabane in the garden.
The blue fleabane blooms beautifully in late summer.
In late summer, the blue fleabane blooms with clusters of pale blue flowers.
Gardeners often remove blue fleabane because it spreads quickly and can overtake other plants.
The field was dotted with blue fleabane, adding a subtle splash of color to the dry grass.

Synonyms

Erigeron acer

vsblue fleabane

Specialized

9.9

A small wildflower like a daisy with pale blue flowers that often grows as a weed

is the common everyday name used for the same weed in casual contexts

Surface Forms

blue fleabane singular

blue fleabanes plural

Morphology

blue + fleabane

The meaning — a type of fleabane that is blue in color — is directly derivable from combining the adjective 'blue' with the noun 'fleabane'; this is a straightforward adjective + noun composition referring to a plant. Such modifier + head constructions are cross-linguistically common and follow normal English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Blue fleabane comes from an old belief: people thought fleabane could 'drive away' fleas when dried, and blue simply describes its pale blue flowers. So the name shows a clear picture — a 'blue' wild flower once used to 'get rid of' fleas, which is why the plant is called blue fleabane.