flame flower
- noun
- US
:
flor de llama
- The narrow succulent leaves help the flame flower survive in arid climates.
Examples
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The flame flower blooms brilliantly in the deserts of the American Southwest.
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Researchers studied the medicinal uses of the flame flower among local indigenous peoples.
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The flame flower blooms beautifully in the desert.
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Have you seen the flame flowers in bloom this season?
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The flame flower blooms brilliantly in the deserts of the American Southwest.
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The narrow succulent leaves help the flame flower survive in arid climates.
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Have you seen the flame flower in bloom this season?
Synonyms
A plant from the US Southwest with fleshy roots and a single red-orange flower
A plant from the southwestern United States with fleshy edible roots and narrow thick leaves
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'flame' (bright, burning element) with 'flower' in a straightforward modifier-noun pattern, so the meaning 'a flower that looks like or has the colours of a flame' is directly derivable from the parts. Even if the specific botanical genus is unknown, a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer this pictorial/colour-based meaning, a common and cross-linguistically transparent compound pattern.
Etymology
Flame flower comes from the plant's bright red or orange bloom that sits above its leaves and looks like a small flame, so the name means 'a flower that looks like fire'.
