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Glite Dictionary
Poa nemoralis

Poa nemoralis

9.9
A thin grass that grows in shady woods and gardens
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Poa nemoralis
  • Poa nemoralis flourishes in the cool, shady spots of the forest floor.

Examples

  • Some gardeners use Poa nemoralis for ground cover in areas with little sunlight.

  • Researchers found that Poa nemoralis has adapted well to temperate climates in North America.

  • Poa nemoralis thrives in the shaded woodlands of northern Europe.

  • The Poa nemoralis thrives in shaded areas.

  • Have you seen the Poa nemoralis in the park?

  • You can often find Poa nemoralis growing in the underbrush where sunlight is limited.

  • The delicate blades of Poa nemoralis create a lush green carpet in shaded gardens.

Synonyms

wood meadowgrass
vsPoa nemoralis
  • UK
9.9

A thin grass that grows every year in shady places like woods

focuses on the wild plant in shady places rather than its cultivated use

Surface Forms

Poa nemoralis singular
Poa nemorales plural

Morphology

Poa + nemoralis

The first element 'Poa' signals a grass genus so a learner who knows that can infer this is a type of grass, but 'nemoralis' is a Latin epithet (not common English) whose specific sense ‘of groves/woodland’ and thus the habitat information is unlikely to be deduced by an average B1 learner. Because part of the meaning (that it is a grass species) is derivable from the constituents but the precise ecological sense requires knowledge of Latin/technical taxonomy, the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Poa nemoralis comes from older words: Poa is a Greek word meaning 'grass' and nemoralis is Latin for 'of the woods'. This 'grass of the woods' image helps explain why the name fits a slim grass that grows in shady woodlands.