Nicotiana alata
- noun
- /ˌnɪkəˈteɪniə əˈlɑːtə/
- Specialized
:
nicotiana alata
- The Nicotiana alata blooms at night, releasing a lovely fragrance.
Examples
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I planted a beautiful Nicotiana alata in my garden.
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The white blossoms of Nicotiana alata attract moths after sunset.
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Many gardeners choose Nicotiana alata for its fragrant flowers that bloom at night.
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She planted Nicotiana alata along the path to enjoy its sweet scent in the evenings.
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The white blossoms of Nicotiana alata attract moths after sunset.
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Many gardeners choose Nicotiana alata for its fragrant flowers that bloom at night.
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The Nicotiana alata in my garden fills the air with sweet fragrances during the evening.
Synonyms
A garden plant with sweet white flowers that open at night
A garden plant with sweet-smelling white flowers that open at night
Surface Forms
Morphology
Nicotiana + alata
This is a Latin binomial (a taxonomic species name) rather than a compositional English phrase; knowing 'Nicotiana' as a genus may signal it is a plant but the specific qualities (ornamental, nocturnally fragrant, perennial) are not derivable from the parts, and the epithet 'alata' is a Latin modifier not transparently meaningful to a B1 learner. Species names function as lexicalized proper nouns, so their full referential meaning is unpredictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Nicotiana alata comes from two parts: Nicotiana is named for Jean Nicot, the French man who helped bring 'tobacco' to Europe, and alata is a Latin word meaning 'winged', a note about the thin, wing-like parts of the flower or seed. So the name helps you remember this is a tobacco relative with delicate, often night-scented flowers.
