desert sunflower
- noun
- /ˈdɛzərt ˈsʌnˌfloʊər/
- US
:
girasol del desierto
- The desert sunflower flourishes in sandy soils under the intense sun of Arizona deserts.
Examples
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Many photographers are drawn to the striking gold of the desert sunflower against the arid landscape.
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Hikers were delighted to spot a blooming desert sunflower during their spring expedition.
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The desert sunflower blooms in the spring.
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Many desert sunflowers grow in Arizona.
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Hikers were delighted to spot a blooming desert sunflower during their spring expedition.
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Many photographers are drawn to the striking gold of the desert sunflower against the arid landscape.
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The desert sunflower flourishes in sandy soils under the intense sun of Arizona deserts.
Synonyms
46
1.0
A tall plant that has a large yellow flower head and seeds you can eat
A thin, hairy desert plant with few leaves and golden-yellow flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a type of sunflower that grows in deserts' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'desert' (dry region) with 'sunflower' (a yellow-flowered plant). This simple noun+noun composition is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Desert sunflower names a small, sunflower-like 'plant' that grows in dry, sandy places. The word desert shows where it lives and sunflower shows its bright, round, yellow flower, so the name today tells you what the plant looks like and where it grows.