white-rayed mule's ears
- noun
- US
:
orejas de mula de rayas blancas
- The white-rayed mule's ears brighten the mountain meadows each spring with their delicate flowers.
Examples
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Hikers often spot white-rayed mule's ears along the trails in northern Idaho.
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The white-rayed mule's ears bloom beautifully in spring.
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Botanists conducted a survey to monitor the spread of white-rayed mule's ears in the region.
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Have you seen the white-rayed mule's ears in the garden?
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Hikers often spot white-rayed mule's ears along the trails in northern Idaho.
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Botanists conducted a survey to monitor the spread of white-rayed mule's ears in the region.
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The white-rayed mule's ears brighten the mountain meadows each spring with their delicate flowers.
Synonyms
A plant like a daisy with leaves at the base, hairy stems and single pale cream flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
white-rayed + mule's + ear
The components give partially compositional cues: 'white-rayed' signals white ray-like petals and 'mule's ears' suggests large ear-shaped leaves, so a learner can infer this refers to a plant with white petal rays and ear-shaped foliage. However, the phrase is a conventional plant name using a specialized/botanical sense of 'ray' and a possessive noun phrase ('mule's ears'), so the exact referent and botanical nuance are not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
White-rayed mule's ears is named for how it looks: its large, rough leaves look like mule's ears and its flowers have white 'rays', the outer petal-like parts. So the name gives a clear picture to help you remember this mountain flower.
