sleeping hibiscus
- noun
- US
:
hibisco dormido
- The garden was filled with blooming sleeping hibiscus plants, their flowers elegantly drooping in the afternoon sun.
Examples
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Unlike open hibiscus flowers, the sleeping hibiscus keeps its petals less spread, giving it a unique look.
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She planted a sleeping hibiscus near the window for its bright color and unusual shape.
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The sleeping hibiscus blooms beautifully in the summer.
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I saw a sleeping hibiscus in the botanical garden.
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The garden was filled with blooming sleeping hibiscus plants, their flowers elegantly drooping in the afternoon sun.
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She planted a sleeping hibiscus near the window for its bright color and unusual shape.
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Unlike open hibiscus flowers, the sleeping hibiscus keeps its petals less spread, giving it a unique look.
Synonyms
A small plant with bright, bell-shaped hanging flowers like unopened hibiscus blooms
A tropical plant with bright, bell-shaped flowers like a hibiscus
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'sleeping' describes a hibiscus that appears to be resting or has closed/drooping blooms. A B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it refers to a kind of hibiscus with flowers that look 'as if sleeping', so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
The name sleeping hibiscus comes from the flower's look: the small blooms hang down and stay partly closed, so they look like a hibiscus that is sleeping. That's why the name is used for plants with drooping flowers that still look like buds.
