Gloxinia spesiosa
- noun
- Specialized
- My grandmother grew a Gloxinia spesiosa on her windowsill, and it bloomed every spring.
Examples
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The vibrant purple flowers of the Gloxinia spesiosa made it the centerpiece of the living room.
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Many gardeners prize Gloxinia spesiosa for its velvety leaves and striking bell-shaped blossoms.
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The Gloxinia spesiosa blooms beautifully in spring.
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I bought a Gloxinia spesiosa for my living room.
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Many gardeners prize Gloxinia spesiosa for its velvety leaves and striking bell-shaped blossoms.
-
The vibrant purple flowers of the Gloxinia spesiosa made it the centerpiece of the living room.
-
My grandmother grew a Gloxinia spesiosa on her windowsill, and it bloomed every spring.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A tropical plant with large bell-shaped flowers often grown in greenhouses
1
9.9
A South American plant with large leaves and bell-shaped flowers grown as a houseplant
1
9.9
A South American houseplant with large leaves and bell-shaped colorful flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
gloxinia + spesiosa
This is a scientific binomial: 'gloxinia' names the plant genus but 'spesiosa' is a Latin species epithet not attested in the learner dictionary, so a B1 learner who only knows the English constituent would not reliably infer the full descriptive meaning. Although the epithet likely derives from Latin for 'showy', that etymological knowledge is not available to typical B1 learners, making the overall name non-compositional for them.
Etymology
Gloxinia spesiosa is named for a person and a Latin word: the genus Gloxinia honors the German plant scientist Benjamin Gloxin, and the word spesiosa comes from Latin meaning 'showy'. So the name gives a simple picture of a 'showy' Gloxinia with large, soft leaves and bright bell-shaped flowers, which is why it is prized as a houseplant.