Sturt pea
- noun
- Australian
- The vibrant flowers of the Sturt pea are a symbol of the Australian outback.
Examples
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Many gardens in Australia feature the distinctive Sturt pea for its striking appearance.
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Botanists collected several Sturt peas while studying the desert flora.
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The Sturt pea is a beautiful plant.
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Many gardeners love the Sturt pea for its color.
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Many gardens in Australia feature the distinctive Sturt pea for its striking appearance.
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The vibrant flowers of the Sturt pea are a symbol of the Australian outback.
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Botanists collected several Sturt peas while studying the desert flora.
Synonyms
A short Australian plant from dry inland areas with bright red flowers and black centres
A low bushy plant from dry parts of Australia with bright red flowers and a black spot
Surface Forms
Morphology
Sturt + pea
The compound follows a common proper-name + noun pattern so a learner who knows 'pea' will reliably infer it denotes a kind of pea/plant; however 'Sturt' is an eponym/proper name with no lexical content that would reveal the specific characteristics (e.g., color, habit). Because the basic category (a pea/plant) is predictable but the detailed meaning is not, the item is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sturt pea is named after the explorer Sturt and the plant's place in the 'pea' family. Its bright, red, pea-shaped flowers that grow in the dry Australian outback are the image behind the name, so today Sturt pea means that red, pea-like plant from the outback.