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Araujia sericofera

Araujia sericofera

9.9
A climbing shrub with fragrant white or pink flowers that trap moths at night
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Araujia sericofera
  • Araujia sericofera is sometimes called the moth plant because its flowers can trap insects overnight.

Examples

  • The twining vines of Araujia sericofera can quickly cover fences or trellises.

  • Gardeners in temperate regions occasionally cultivate Araujia sericofera for its attractive, fragrant blossoms.

  • The Araujia sericofera is known for its beautiful flowers.

  • Many gardeners admire the Araujia sericofera for its fragrance.

  • Araujia sericofera is a climbing shrub that attracts moths with its fragrant white flowers.

  • In South America, Araujia sericofera is praised for its ability to trap nocturnal insects.

  • The robust growth of Araujia sericofera makes it a favored choice for creating green screens in gardens.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Araujia + sericofera

This is a botanical Latin binomial (a proper taxonomic name) rather than a compositional English phrase; the overall descriptive meaning (‘a robust climbing shrub with fragrant flowers that trap moths’) is lexicalized and not derivable from the genus name alone. The specific epithet 'sericofera' is not a known English word here, and even if the learner knew 'Araujia' as a vine, the detailed properties of the species are unpredictable from the parts, so it would be opaque to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Araujia sericofera may be named for a person called Araújo and for the part sericofera, which means 'silk-bearing'. This fits the climbing shrub because it has silky seed hairs and sticky, fragrant flowers that can trap moths at night, so the name matches the plant.