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Glite Dictionary
wax plant

wax plant

6.7
A climbing plant with thick, shiny leaves and clusters of pink and white star-shaped flowers
  • noun
translation icon : planta de cera
  • The wax plant produces clusters of beautiful, fragrant flowers in the summer.

Examples

  • Gardeners appreciate the wax plant for its easy care and attractive foliage.

  • She keeps a large wax plant in her living room because it thrives indoors.

  • I just bought a beautiful wax plant for my living room.

  • The wax plant has stunning star-shaped flowers.

  • Gardeners appreciate the wax plant for its easy care and attractive foliage.

  • The wax plant produces clusters of beautiful, fragrant flowers in the summer.

  • She keeps a large wax plant in her living room because it thrives indoors.

Synonyms

Hoya carnosa
vswax plant
  • Specialized
9.8

A climbing plant with thick leaves and pink and white star-shaped flowers

is the commonly grown houseplant described by thick waxy leaves

Surface Forms

wax plant singular
wax plants plural

Morphology

wax + plant

The compound is directly compositional: 'wax' functions as a modifier describing a waxy quality of the 'plant', so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a plant with waxy leaves or surface. Noun+noun compounding with this modifier relationship is productive in English and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning immediately accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Wax plant is named for its thick, shiny leaves and star-shaped flowers that look like they are made of wax on a climbing plant. So the name makes it easy to picture a shiny 'houseplant'.