roast beef plant
- noun
- UK
:
iris fetido
- The roast beef plant is admired for its striking purple flowers despite its unpleasant odor.
Examples
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She identified the plant by the smell of its leaves and confirmed it was a roast beef plant.
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Gardeners in Mediterranean climates sometimes cultivate the roast beef plant for its unique appearance.
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The roast beef plant is often found in gardens across Europe.
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Have you seen a roast beef plant in bloom?
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The roast beef plant is known for its purple flowers and distinctive smell, making it a unique addition to any garden.
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When she walked by, the strong odor from the roast beef plant made it easy for her to identify it in the wild.
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In southern Europe, many gardeners choose the roast beef plant for its colorful blooms despite its off-putting scent.
Synonyms
A plant with purple flowers and leaves that smell bad when crushed
A plant with purple flowers and smelly leaves that grows by the Mediterranean
A plant like an iris that has purple flowers and bad-smelling leaves
A plant with purple flowers and very smelly leaves that grows every year
A garden plant with purple flowers and leaves that smell bad when crushed
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'roast', 'beef' and 'plant' would likely infer this refers to a plant associated with roast beef (e.g. smelling or resembling roast beef), so there is a clear compositional cue. However, the precise botanical identity (an iris) and the specific notion of an unpleasant smell versus other associations are not fully predictable, so the meaning is only partially deducible without prior exposure.
Etymology
The noun roast beef plant may come from the strong 'smell' of its leaves, which people said was like cooked meat, so they called it roast beef. That's why the name now means a plant with pretty purple flowers but an unpleasant smell.
