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Glite Dictionary
adder's fern

adder's fern

9.9
A low plant with long divided leaves that forms a green mat in shady wet places
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : helecho de víbora
  • Gardeners may use adder's fern as ground cover in areas with moist soil and partial shade.

Examples

  • The shady hillside was covered in lush adder's fern growing between the rocks.

  • The adder's fern thrives in moist, shaded areas.

  • Botanists studying the region took samples of the abundant adder's fern for analysis.

  • Look at that adder's fern!

  • Gardeners may use adder's fern as ground cover in areas with moist soil and partial shade.

  • The shady hillside was covered in lush adder's fern growing between the rocks.

  • The adder's fern thrives in moist, shaded areas, making it ideal for woodland gardens.

Synonyms

golden maidenhair
vsadder's fern
  • Specialized
9.6

A small fern with bright yellow-green leaves that grows close to the ground

has the same botanical traits but uses an alternate common name

Surface Forms

adder's fern singular
adder's ferns plural

Morphology

adder's + fern

The phrase is a straightforward possessive noun + noun naming a plant: a B1 learner who knows 'adder' (a snake) and 'fern' (a type of plant) will readily infer this refers to a kind of fern associated with or named after the adder. While the precise botanical details (mat-forming, pinnatifid fronds) are not derivable from the words, the basic meaning 'a type of fern' is transparently compositional.

Etymology

The plant name adder's fern may come from its long, narrow leaves that lie on the ground and look like a small snake, called an 'adder', so people linked adder and fern and used the name for this plant.