horsetail milkweed
- noun
- Specialized
:
algodoncillo cola de caballo
- The horsetail milkweed plant is known to be poisonous to livestock in the southwestern United States.
Examples
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Cattle can become ill after grazing on horsetail milkweed in contaminated pastures.
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Farmers are advised to remove horsetail milkweed from grazing areas to protect their livestock.
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Horsetail milkweed blooms in the arid regions of New Mexico every summer.
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The horsetail milkweed is toxic to many animals.
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Farmers should be cautious of horsetail milkweeds in their fields.
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Cattle can become ill after grazing on horsetail milkweed in contaminated pastures.
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Farmers are advised to remove horsetail milkweed from grazing areas to protect their livestock.
Synonyms
A milkweed plant from the southwestern US and Mexico that is poisonous to farm animals
A milkweed plant from the southwestern United States and Mexico that makes farm animals very sick
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward compound: it names a type of milkweed associated with or resembling a horsetail plant, so the overall meaning is directly built from the constituents 'horsetail' + 'milkweed'. A B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer this denotes a particular kind of milkweed (though specific details like native range or toxicity are extra encyclopedic information).
Etymology
Horsetail milkweed gets its name from how the plant looks and what it is: its long, thin leaves or clusters look like a horse's tail, which explains the horsetail part, and as a milkweed it has a white, milky sap. So the name describes a milkweed that looks like a horse's tail and warns that it can be poisonous to 'farm animals' in the southwestern United States and Mexico.
