bush hibiscus
- noun
- Australian
:
hibisco arbustivo
- The bush hibiscus brightened the garden with its striking purple flowers.
Examples
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In parts of Australia, the bush hibiscus grows wild along the roadsides.
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The bush hibiscus blooms beautifully in the summer.
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Gardeners value the bush hibiscus for its resilience in dry climates.
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I saw a bush hibiscus in my neighbor's garden.
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Gardeners value the bush hibiscus for its resilience in dry climates.
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In parts of Australia, the bush hibiscus grows wild along the roadsides.
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The bush hibiscus brightened the garden with its striking purple flowers.
Synonyms
A small bush from southern and western Australia with purple flowers and toothed leaves
A southern and western Australian shrub with purple flowers and leaves with small teeth
A small group of shrubs like bush hibiscus that grow in dry places
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'bush' (a small woody plant) modifies 'hibiscus' (a flowering plant genus), so the phrase denotes a hibiscus that grows as a shrub. Noun–noun compounding of this kind is a common, transparent pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Bush hibiscus comes from the simple image of a bush, a small 'shrub', with bright hibiscus flowers. So, the name tells you it is a shrubby plant with hibiscus-like flowers.
