Scott's spleenwort
- noun
- /skɑts splinwɜrt/
- US
:
helecho de Scott
- The polished black stems make Scott's spleenwort easy to identify among other ferns.
Examples
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Botanists are studying how Scott's spleenwort adapts to different environments in North America.
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I found a beautiful Scott's spleenwort in my garden.
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I spotted a rare Scott's spleenwort growing on the shaded rocky hillside.
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Have you seen any Scott's spleenworts around here?
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In the forest, I discovered a cluster of Scott's spleenwort thriving among the moss.
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The bright green leaves of Scott's spleenwort provide an interesting contrast to the dark soil.
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During our hike, we came across several patches of Scott's spleenwort nestled in the crevices of the rocks.
Synonyms
A common fern in eastern North America with narrow green leaves and shiny black stems
A small fern with shiny black stems and delicate green leaves that grows on rocky, shaded ground
Surface Forms
Morphology
Scott's + spleenwort
The phrase is a possessive proper-name + noun combination: 'Scott's' (a person's name) + 'spleenwort' (a type of fern). A B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer it denotes a particular kind of spleenwort associated with or named after Scott, so the basic meaning is directly compositional and transparent.
Etymology
The plant name Scott's spleenwort comes from two parts: spleen + wort, where 'wort' is an old word for a 'plant' people once thought could help the 'spleen'. The Scott's part shows the fern was named after a person called Scott who studied it, so the name means the fern linked to Scott and to the old idea about the spleen.
