yellow star-thistle
- noun
- US
:
cardo amarillo
- The field was overrun with yellow star-thistle, making it difficult for native plants to thrive.
Examples
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Farmers are concerned about the impact of yellow star-thistle on their grazing lands.
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Efforts to control yellow star-thistle have included introducing natural insect predators.
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The yellow star-thistle is a common sight in California.
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Farmers are worried about the spread of yellow star-thistles.
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Farmers are concerned about the impact of yellow star-thistle on their grazing lands.
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The field was overrun with yellow star-thistle, making it difficult for native plants to thrive.
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Efforts to control yellow star-thistle have included introducing natural insect predators.
Synonyms
A spiny yellow weed from Europe with sharp flower heads that spreads and harms native plants
A weed plant with a winged stem and hairy leaves often growing near fields
Surface Forms
Morphology
yellow + star-thistle
This is a simple color + noun compound: 'yellow' (a color) modifies a plant name composed of 'star' + 'thistle', so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a thistle with star-like features that is yellow. Such color + botanical-noun compounds are compositional and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning immediately recoverable from the parts.
Etymology
Yellow star-thistle gets its name from its look: bright yellow flowers that open like a small star and sharp thistle-like thorns. So the name helps you picture a bright, star-shaped, spiky plant and explains why the term refers to a harmful 'weed' that spreads fast in fields.
