American fly honeysuckle
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən flaɪ ˈhʌnɪsʌkəl/
- Specialized
:
madreselva americana
- The American fly honeysuckle blooms in early spring, brightening shady woodland edges with its pale yellow flowers.
Examples
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Many birds feed on the berries produced by American fly honeysuckle in late summer.
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Gardeners often plant American fly honeysuckle for its ornamental value and wildlife appeal.
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The American fly honeysuckle blooms in early spring.
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Many gardeners appreciate the American fly honeysuckle for its beauty.
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Gardeners often plant American fly honeysuckle for its ornamental value and wildlife appeal.
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Many birds feed on the berries produced by American fly honeysuckle in late summer.
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The American fly honeysuckle blooms in early spring, brightening shady woodland edges with its pale yellow flowers.
Synonyms
A small North American bush with yellow-white flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
American + fly + honeysuckle
The constituents 'American' and 'honeysuckle' make it clear to a B1 learner that this is a type of honeysuckle from America, so the broad category and origin are transparently derivable. However, the specific function of 'fly' in the name (e.g. indicating size, an attractant, or just a conventional part of the common name) is not predictable without botanical or lexical familiarity, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
American fly honeysuckle may come from the plant's small, open flowers that often attracted flies and other insects. So the name marks this American fly honeysuckle as the kind that 'attracts' flies, and today it simply means a small flowering shrub from North America.
