bird's nest fern

8.8

A tropical fern with long curved leaves that form a round nest in tree forks

noun
/bɜrdz nɛst fɜrn/

Specialized

: helecho nido de ave

The bird's nest fern thrives in humid environments, making it a popular plant for bathrooms and greenhouses.

Examples

She placed a large bird's nest fern in the corner to add a touch of tropical greenery to her living room.
In the wild, the bird's nest fern often grows nestled in the branches of rainforest trees.
The bird's nest fern thrives in humid environments.
I saw a bird's nest fern at the botanical garden.
In the wild, the bird's nest fern often grows nestled in the branches of rainforest trees.
The bird's nest fern thrives in humid environments, making it a popular plant for bathrooms and greenhouses.
She placed a large bird's nest fern in the corner to add a touch of tropical greenery to her living room.

Synonyms

Asplenium nidus

vsbird's nest fern

Australian

9.9

A fern with large, round leaves that grows on trees in tropical places

is the common everyday name used instead of the scientific term

Surface Forms

bird's nest fern singular

bird's nest ferns plural

Morphology

bird's + nest + fern

The compound describes a fern that forms a nest-like cluster resembling a bird's nest, so a learner who knows 'bird', 'nest', and 'fern' can readily infer this meaning. This is a descriptive, compositional plant name (common cross-linguistically) rather than an idiom, making the semantics transparent.

Etymology

Bird's nest fern gets its name from the way its long, wide leaves grow together into a round cup that looks like a bird's nest sitting in a tree. So the name simply describes a 'fern' that looks like a nest, which makes it easy to remember.