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Glite Dictionary
African tulip

African tulip

9.6
A tropical tree with bright green leaves and large orange-red flowers
  • noun
  • South African
translation icon : tulipán africano
  • We admired the beauty of the African tulip, especially its magnificent flower clusters, while walking through the garden.

Examples

  • The African tulip tree blooms with stunning clusters of orange-red flowers during the spring.

  • A trade wind shower drifted by in the distance and set a rainbow over an enormous stand of red-blooming African tulip trees.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • In the park, the African tulip stands out with its bright green leaves and vibrant orange blossoms.

Surface Forms

African tulip singular
African tulips plural

Morphology

African + tulip

The compound is directly compositional: 'African' specifies origin/association with Africa and 'tulip' names a kind of flowering plant, so a learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a tulip-like plant from Africa. This is a straightforward botanical name following common noun + modifier patterns and is therefore predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

African tulip may come from the tree's large, cup-shaped orange flowers that reminded early plant collectors of garden tulip blooms, so the name now refers to a tropical tree known for its bright, showy flowers.