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bladder cherry

bladder cherry

9.9
A plant with orange paper-like husks around its small fruits, often grown for decoration
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : cereza de vejiga
  • She planted a row of bladder cherries along the fence for their striking appearance in fall.

Examples

  • The children were fascinated by the papery shells of the bladder cherry fruit in the backyard.

  • The bladder cherry adds a splash of color to autumn gardens with its bright orange husks.

  • The bladder cherry plant adds vibrant color to gardens.

  • I saw many bladder cherries at the botanical garden.

  • The bladder cherry plant adds a unique visual appeal to gardens with its distinctive balloon-like husks.

  • In the fall, the bright orange calyces of the bladder cherry create a stunning display in the landscape.

  • Gardeners often choose bladder cherries for their ornamental value and vibrant color during autumn.

Synonyms

Chinese lantern plant
vsbladder cherry
8.3

A plant with bright orange, papery, lantern-shaped coverings around its small fruit

is the same plant but uses an alternate common name in English
Physalis alkekengi
vsbladder cherry
  • Specialized
9.9

A garden plant with bright orange, papery husks that look like small lanterns

is the same plant but named by common English rather than scientific Latin

Surface Forms

Morphology

bladder + cherry

The compound is compositionally motivated: 'bladder' evokes an inflated, balloon-like structure and 'cherry' evokes a small fruit/plant, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a plant/fruit with bladder-like features. However, the precise botanical senses (that it is a nightshade with papery calyces and an ornamental perennial rather than an edible cherry) are specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents, making it only partly transparent.

Etymology

Bladder cherry gets its name from the plant's bright, papery, balloon-like shell, a thin bladder, that holds a small round fruit like a cherry. So the name gives a clear picture of a little fruit inside an orange, bladder-like shell and explains why people grow it for decoration.