Butea frondosa
- noun
- Indian
- Textile workers traditionally used dye extracted from Butea frondosa to color fabrics yellow.
Examples
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The Butea frondosa is celebrated for its striking vermilion blossoms during the spring.
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In India, the Butea frondosa tree blooms beautifully in spring.
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Many birds visit Butea frondosa trees to feed on their nectar-laden flowers.
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The Butea frondosa is known for its vibrant flowers.
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Textile workers traditionally used dye extracted from Butea frondosa to color fabrics yellow.
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Many birds visit Butea frondosa trees to feed on their nectar-laden flowers.
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The Butea frondosa is celebrated for its striking vermilion blossoms during the spring.
Synonyms
A tree in India with bright red flowers used to make yellow dye
A tree from East India with bright orange-red, velvety flowers used to make yellow dye
A tree from India with bright red flowers used to make a yellow dye
A tree from South Asia with bright orange-red flowers used to make yellow dye
Surface Forms
Morphology
Butea + frondosa
This is a scientific Latin binomial (a proper name) whose full referential meaning (a specific East Indian tree with vermilion flowers and dye properties) is not derivable from the constituent parts by a B1 learner. Even if the learner recognised 'Butea' as a genus, the Latin epithet 'frondosa' is not a known English word and the botanical and cultural specifics cannot be predicted from the parts, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Butea frondosa is known for its bright, velvety orange-red flowers that look like small flames and for its many leaves. Because people used those flowers to make a strong 'yellow dye' for cloth, the name now makes people think of a South Asian tree used for color and beauty.