red Clintonia

9.9

A wild plant with a tall leafless stalk topped by clusters of red flowers

noun

Specialized

: Clintonia roja

We saw a red Clintonia blooming along the hiking trail in northern California.

Examples

Gardeners in Oregon often admire the unique appearance of red Clintonia in the wild.
The red Clintonia is easily identified by its striking stalk of reddish flowers.
The red Clintonia blooms beautifully in the spring.
Have you seen a red Clintonia before?
In California, hikers often stop to photograph the vibrant red Clintonia blooming along the paths.
During spring, the red Clintonia showcases its stunning clusters of red flowers in natural habitats.
Botanists in Oregon study the growth patterns of red Clintonia to understand its native ecosystem.

Synonyms

Clintonia andrewsiana

vsred Clintonia

Specialized

9.9

A plant from California and Oregon with a tall stalk topped by red or pale purple flowers

focuses on its native range rather than life cycle

Andrew's clintonia

vsred Clintonia

9.9

A small forest plant with nearly leafless stalks and red or pale purple flower clusters from California to Oregon

specifies native area from California to Oregon rather than broad region

Surface Forms

red Clintonia singular

red Clintoniae plural

Morphology

red + Clintonia

This is a simple adjective + noun composition: 'red' modifies the noun 'Clintonia', so the phrase denotes a Clintonia plant that is red in color (e.g., red flowers or red parts). Color + noun combinations are cross-linguistically common and follow standard compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Red Clintonia comes from its bright red flowers and the name Clintonia, which honors a man named Clinton who helped early plant collectors. The image of a tall stalk covered in red flowers makes the name easy to remember, so it means 'the Clintonia plant with red flowers'.