salt marsh mallow

9.3

A plant with pink or white flowers that grows in salty wet ground

noun
/sɔlt mɑrʃ ˈmæl.oʊ/

: malva de marisma

The salt marsh mallow blooms along the coastal wetlands each summer.

Examples

We spotted a patch of salt marsh mallows near the edge of the estuary.
Scientists studied the adaptation of the salt marsh mallow to saline environments.
Look at that salt marsh mallow!
The salt marsh mallow blooms beautifully in the summer.
The salt marsh mallow thrives in the salty soils of coastal marshes and has lovely pink flowers.
Each year, the salt marsh mallow grows in abundance in the wetlands, attracting many pollinators.
During our hike, we discovered a vibrant patch of salt marsh mallow swaying in the breeze.

Synonyms

Kosteletzya virginica

vssalt marsh mallow

Specialized

9.9

A low bush with pink flowers that grows in salt marshes by the sea

focuses on coastal wetlands and pink or white flowers

seashore mallow

vssalt marsh mallow

Specialized

9.9

A plant with hibiscus-like flowers that grows near the sea

is mainly wild in wet habitats and marked by pink or white blooms

Surface Forms

salt marsh mallow singular

salt marsh mallows plural

Morphology

salt + marsh + mallow

This is a fully compositional noun phrase: 'salt' + 'marsh' describe the habitat and 'mallow' names the plant, so the phrase denotes a mallow that grows in salt marshes. A B1 learner who knows the meanings of the constituents can readily infer this referent; the modifier+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Salt marsh mallow is a name that simply says what the plant is and where it lives: a mallow (a soft plant with round flowers) that grows in salt marshes by the sea. That's why the name helps you remember it is a soft-flowered plant found in salty, wet places.