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yellow jessamine

yellow jessamine

9.9
An evergreen climbing vine from the southern United States with fragrant yellow flowers poisonous to people and pets
  • noun
  • /ˈjɛloʊ ˈdʒɛsəˌmiːn/
  • US
translation icon : jazmín amarillo
  • Gardeners warn that yellow jessamine is toxic if ingested by humans or pets.

Examples

  • The sweet scent of yellow jessamine filled the southern garden in early spring.

  • Along the fence, yellow jessamine vines climbed, brightening the landscape with their golden blossoms.

  • The yellow jessamine grew wildly in the garden.

  • Is the yellow jessamine safe to touch?

  • Gardeners warn that yellow jessamine is toxic if ingested by humans or pets.

  • The sweet scent of yellow jessamine filled the southern garden in early spring.

  • Along the fence, yellow jessamine vines climbed, brightening the landscape with their golden blossoms.

Synonyms

yellow jasmine
vsyellow jessamine
  • US
9.3

A climbing evergreen plant that has sweet yellow funnel-shaped flowers and poisonous parts

is the common name spelled with double s
Gelsemium sempervirens
vsyellow jessamine
  • Specialized
9.9

An evergreen climbing plant from the southeastern United States with sweet-smelling yellow trumpet flowers that is poisonous

is the common English name used in everyday speech
Carolina jasmine
vsyellow jessamine
  • US
9.3

A poisonous evergreen climbing plant with fragrant yellow flowers from the southern United States

is the general neutral name rather than a regional label
evening trumpet flower
vsyellow jessamine
  • US
9.6

A poisonous woody evergreen vine with sweet-smelling yellow flowers shaped like funnels in the southeastern United States

is the established common name instead of a descriptive label

Surface Forms

Morphology

yellow + jessamine

The phrase is a straightforward color + plant compound: a B1 learner who knows 'yellow' and 'jessamine' will infer it refers to a jasmine-like (yellow-flowered) climbing plant. This follows common color+noun naming patterns across languages and is descriptive rather than idiomatic, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

The plant name yellow jessamine comes from the bright yellow flowers and jessamine, an old word for 'jasmine' used because the blooms smell sweet. So the name helps you picture a yellow, jasmine-scented vine, but this vine is 'poisonous'.