marsh milkweed
- noun
- /mɑrʃ ˈmɪlkˌwiːd/
- US
:
asclepias
- The wetland restoration project included the planting of marsh milkweed to attract native butterflies.
Examples
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Bees and monarch caterpillars are often seen feeding on the flowers of marsh milkweed.
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She identified the tall stems by the riverbank as marsh milkweed during our botany walk.
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Look at that marsh milkweed!
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The marsh milkweed blooms beautifully in the summer.
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Bees and monarch caterpillars are often seen feeding on the flowers of marsh milkweed.
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She identified the tall stems by the riverbank as marsh milkweed during our botany walk.
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The wetland restoration project included the planting of marsh milkweed to attract native butterflies.
Synonyms
A tall wetland plant with clusters of pink, white, or purple flowers that attract butterflies
A plant that grows in wet places with clusters of pink or white flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun-noun compound where 'marsh' (wetland) modifies 'milkweed' (a plant), so the meaning — a milkweed that grows in marshy/wet areas — is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional habitat+species naming pattern is common across languages and follows regular English compounding, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Marsh milkweed is a very literal name: marsh shows it grows in wet places and milkweed refers to the sticky white 'milky' liquid the plant gives when you break a stem. So the name helps you remember a wet-area plant that makes milky sap and often attracts butterflies.
