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Glite Dictionary
Agrostemma githago

Agrostemma githago

9.9
A plant from Europe that lives one year, with purple trumpet flowers and poisonous seeds
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : Agrostemma githago
  • The striking purple flowers of Agrostemma githago make it easy to spot among the wheat.

Examples

  • Farmers often remove Agrostemma githago from their fields because its seeds are poisonous to livestock.

  • While hiking in Europe, she found Agrostemma githago growing beside the old country road.

  • The Agrostemma githago is often found in abandoned fields.

  • Farmers often struggle with Agrostemma githago in their crops.

  • Farmers often remove Agrostemma githago from their fields because its seeds are poisonous to livestock.

  • The striking purple flowers of Agrostemma githago make it easy to spot among the wheat.

  • While hiking in Europe, she found Agrostemma githago growing beside the old country road.

Synonyms

corn cockle
vsAgrostemma githago
  • UK
9.9

A plant with bright purple, trumpet-shaped flowers and poisonous seeds that grows in grain fields and roadsides

is the formal botanical name rather than the common name
crown-of-the-field
vsAgrostemma githago
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with large reddish-purple trumpet-shaped flowers and poisonous seeds that grows in fields and roadsides

is the formal botanical name rather than a folk or regional name

Antonyms

non-poisonous
2.5

Safe to eat, touch, or use

Surface Forms

Agrostemma githago singular
Agrostemma githagos plural

Morphology

Agrostemma + githago

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species) functioning as a taxonomic label rather than a compositional English phrase; a B1 learner who knows the constituent forms would not be able to infer details like being a European annual with poisonous seeds and trumpet-shaped flowers. 'Agrostemma' is a specialized botanical name and 'githago' is not a standard English word, so the overall meaning is arbitrary and not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Agrostemma githago may come from old Greek words: agros meaning 'field' and stemma meaning 'wreath', because its bright, trumpet-shaped flowers often stood out like a ring of color in fields of grain. The second part, githago, links the plant to 'grain' or 'wheat', so the name points to a showy field weed (the corncockle) whose seeds are 'poisonous'.