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whorled loosestrife

whorled loosestrife

9.9
A common North American plant with yellow flowers and leaves that grow in rings around the stem
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : luz de oro en verticilos
  • Gardeners appreciate whorled loosestrife for its clusters of bright yellow flowers.

Examples

  • The whorled loosestrife blooms along the edges of the wetland every summer.

  • The whorled loosestrife blooms beautifully in late summer.

  • We spotted a patch of whorled loosestrife during our hike through the nature reserve.

  • Have you seen the whorled loosestrife in the garden?

  • Gardeners appreciate whorled loosestrife for its clusters of bright yellow flowers.

  • The whorled loosestrife blooms along the edges of the wetland every summer.

  • We spotted a patch of whorled loosestrife during our hike through the nature reserve.

Synonyms

Lysimachia quadrifolia
vswhorled loosestrife
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with small yellow flowers that grows in North America

is the common everyday name used instead of the formal Latin name

Surface Forms

Morphology

whorled + loosestrife

This is a descriptive adjective + noun compound: 'whorled' (leaves arranged in a spiral) modifies 'loosestrife' (a type of plant), so the meaning 'a loosestrife with whorled leaves' is directly derivable from the constituents. The construction is a regular, compositional English noun phrase (common in botanical terms), so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Whorled loosestrife describes how the plant looks: whorled means the leaves grow in a 'ring' around the stem, and loosestrife is a name for tall flowering plants. So the name gives a clear picture of a tall plant with bright yellow flowers and rings of leaves, which is why people use the name for this common wetland plant.