Oxalis crenata
- noun
- Specialized
:
oca
- The tubers of Oxalis crenata add a unique flavor to many Peruvian dishes.
Examples
-
Farmers rely on Oxalis crenata as a traditional crop to supplement potatoes.
-
Farmers in Peru often cultivate Oxalis crenata for its nutritious tubers.
-
Oxalis crenata is widely cultivated in the Andes for its tangy, edible tubers.
-
The Oxalis crenata is commonly known as the Japanese wood sorrel.
-
Oxalis crenata is widely cultivated in the Andes for its tangy, edible tubers.
-
Farmers in Peru often cultivate Oxalis crenata for its nutritious tubers.
-
The tubers of Oxalis crenata add a unique flavor to many Peruvian dishes.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A plant from South America with small edible roots used as a main food
A South American plant people grow for its edible tubers called oca
A South American plant with edible roots used like a potato
How Edible
- Specialized
1
3.4
1
1.0
1
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
Oxalis + crenata
This is a Latin binomial (genus + specific epithet). A learner who knows 'Oxalis' can plausibly infer it names a plant species, but the second element 'crenata' is not an English word (and its specific meaning/traits are not predictable), so the full sense (a South American, tuber-producing, cultivated species) cannot be derived from the parts. Because the taxonomic structure gives partial information (it is a plant species) but not the specialized attributes, the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Oxalis crenata: The plant name Oxalis comes from Greek for 'sharp' because the leaves and tubers taste a little sour, and crenata comes from Latin for 'notched', which describes the scalloped edges of the leaves, so the name helps you remember it is a sour wood sorrel with notched leaves and edible tubers.