umbrella plant
- noun
- US
:
planta paraguas
- The umbrella plant thrives best in moist, shaded areas near streams.
Examples
-
We spotted an umbrella plant growing along the riverbank during our hike.
-
Gardeners admire the umbrella plant for its striking, broad leaves and colorful blooms.
-
The umbrella plant thrives near the water.
-
Have you seen an umbrella plant before?
-
Gardeners admire the umbrella plant for its striking, broad leaves and colorful blooms.
-
The umbrella plant thrives best in moist, shaded areas near streams.
-
We spotted an umbrella plant growing along the riverbank during our hike.
Synonyms
A perennial plant with large round leaves and groups of bright pink or white flowers that grows beside streams
A plant that lives many years with large round leaves and pink or white flower clusters
A perennial plant with large shield-shaped leaves and white to bright pink flowers that grows by mountain streams in California
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a plant with an umbrella-like cluster of leaves' is directly inferable from combining 'umbrella' (a canopy) with 'plant' — the modifier describes the plant's shape. This noun–noun compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily predict the meaning.
Etymology
Umbrella plant gets its name from its large, round leaves that open above the stem like a small umbrella. Because the leaf shape looks like an umbrella, people call this plant an 'umbrella plant' today.
