Araucaria araucana
- noun
- Specialized
:
Araucaria araucana
- Seeds from the Araucaria araucana are edible and have been used as food by indigenous peoples.
Examples
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Many visitors are attracted by the ancient Araucaria araucana trees in the national park.
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The Araucaria araucana is often planted in gardens for its unique appearance.
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The Araucaria araucana is often referred to as the monkey puzzle tree.
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Many gardeners love the Araucaria araucana for its unique appearance.
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The Araucaria araucana is known for its unique spiral branches and is often referred to as the monkey puzzle tree.
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Many people enjoy the edible seeds of the Araucaria araucana, which are native to Chile and Argentina.
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The distinctive shape of the Araucaria araucana makes it a popular choice for gardens and parks.
Synonyms
A large South American tree with spiny branches and edible seeds
A large evergreen tree from Chile with twisted branches and edible nuts
Surface Forms
Morphology
Araucaria + araucana
This is a Latin binomial (genus + species). A learner who knows 'Araucaria' could infer it names a type of Araucaria tree, but the species epithet 'araucana' (and the detailed sense ‘monkey puzzle tree’, native range, edible seeds) is not predictable to a B1 learner. Because the taxonomic naming pattern gives partial information (it’s a kind of Araucaria) but not the full, conventional meaning, the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Araucaria araucana comes from the Araucanía region in Chile, and the second word araucana means 'from Araucanía'. English speakers often call it the 'monkey puzzle tree' because its spiky, twisting branches would 'puzzle' a monkey trying to climb, so both names tell you where the tree is from and how it looks.
