leathery grape fern
- noun
- UK
:
helecho de uva coriáceo
- The leathery grape fern is known for its tough, evergreen fronds.
Examples
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We spotted a leathery grape fern growing along the shaded woodland path.
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Botanists are studying the distribution of the leathery grape fern in various European habitats.
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The leathery grape fern thrives in shaded areas.
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Have you seen the leathery grape fern in the garden?
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Botanists are studying the distribution of the leathery grape fern in various European habitats.
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The leathery grape fern is known for its tough, evergreen fronds.
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We spotted a leathery grape fern growing along the shaded woodland path.
Synonyms
A small fern with leathery, slightly hairy fronds found in northern Europe
A fern with feathery leaves and round spore clusters like grapes
A small fern-like plant with grape-like clusters of spores, often called moonwort
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjectival description of a compound noun: 'leathery' modifies 'grape fern', so the phrase denotes a type of fern that is grape-like in some respect and has leathery fronds. A B1 learner who knows 'leathery', 'grape' and 'fern' can reasonably infer this botanical meaning because plant names and adjective + noun compositions are typically compositional and cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
Leathery grape fern gets its name from how it looks: it has tough, almost leathery leaves and tiny round clusters that look like small grapes, so the name simply describes this kind of fern.
