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Schlumbergera buckleyi

Schlumbergera buckleyi

9.9
A cactus from Brazil kept as a houseplant with flat jointed stems and purple winter flowers
  • noun
  • /ˌʃlʌmˈbɜrɡəra ˈbʌkliˌaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Schlumbergera buckleyi
  • My grandmother's Schlumbergera buckleyi blooms beautifully every December by the window.

Examples

  • The Schlumbergera buckleyi is often called the Christmas cactus.

  • We learned how to propagate Schlumbergera buckleyi from cuttings in our botany class.

  • The vibrant flowers of Schlumbergera buckleyi make it a popular choice among indoor gardeners.

  • I bought a new Schlumbergera buckleyi for my living room.

  • The vibrant flowers of Schlumbergera buckleyi make it a popular choice among indoor gardeners.

  • My grandmother's Schlumbergera buckleyi blooms beautifully every December by the window.

  • I bought a new Schlumbergera buckleyi for my living room.

Synonyms

Schlumbergera baridgesii
vsSchlumbergera buckleyi
  • Specialized
9.9

A cactus grown as a houseplant with flat jointed stems and purple winter flowers

is the named species distinct from other similar species
Christmas cactus
vsSchlumbergera buckleyi
4.1

A houseplant from Brazil with flat stem sections and pink or purple flowers that bloom in winter

refers to one specific species within that common group
Decembrist
vsSchlumbergera buckleyi
7.6

A houseplant with bright flowers that blooms in December

is a species that blooms in winter rather than only in December

Surface Forms

Morphology

Schlumbergera + buckleyi

The phrase is a Latin binomial (genus + specific epithet), so a learner who knows 'Schlumbergera' as a genus of cacti can transparently infer this denotes a particular species of that genus. However, the epithet 'buckleyi' is not a meaningful English word and provides no descriptive information about the plant's appearance or common name, so the specific sense (e.g. 'Christmas cactus') is not predictable from the parts. Given this partial predictability, the item is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Schlumbergera buckleyi may come from two people's names: Schlumbergera after a plant collector called Schlumberger and buckleyi after someone called Buckley. The long Latin name works like a label that 'honors' those people and helps gardeners tell this winter‑flowering house cactus from other plants.