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Glite Dictionary
Clematis crispa

Clematis crispa

9.9
A climbing plant with blue and purple flowers that grows in the southern United States
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Clematis crispa
  • The garden trellis was covered in Clematis crispa, adding a splash of blue and purple to the yard.

Examples

  • We planted a Clematis crispa near the fence to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

  • The Clematis crispa blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • Many gardeners in the southern states admire the delicate flowers of Clematis crispa.

  • I planted a Clematis crispa in my garden last year.

  • Many gardeners in the southern states admire the delicate flowers of Clematis crispa.

  • The garden trellis was covered in Clematis crispa, adding a splash of blue and purple to the yard.

  • We planted a Clematis crispa near the fence to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Synonyms

blue jasmine
vsClematis crispa
  • US
1 7.2

A climbing plant with blue-purple flowers grown for gardens

is native and described by its bluish purple flowers rather than by cultivation
marsh clematis
vsClematis crispa
  • Specialized
9.9

A climbing plant with bluish-purple flowers that grows in wet ground

is the same plant but listed under another common name
curly clematis
vsClematis crispa
  • US
8.9

A climbing plant with bluish-purple flowers

is the same species but expressed with a different common name
blue jessamine
vsClematis crispa
  • US
9.1

A climbing plant with bluish purple flowers grown for its sweet smell

is native and identified by its flowers rather than garden cultivation

Surface Forms

Clematis crispa singular
Clematis crispas plural

Morphology

clematis + crispa

The element 'clematis' clearly signals a flowering climbing plant, so a learner who knows that constituent will recognise this is a type of plant. However, 'crispa' is a Latin species epithet (not a common English word) and does not allow a B1 learner to infer the specific traits, native range, or flower colour given in the definition. Therefore the expression is partly compositional (a kind of clematis) but not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Clematis crispa comes from old Greek and Latin words: clematis means 'vine' or 'climbing plant' and crispa means 'curled'. So the name describes a climbing plant with slightly curled, blue-purple flowers, which is why it fits this plant.