butterfly pea
- noun
:
guisante mariposa
- She brewed a refreshing tea from the butterfly pea flowers, which turned a vibrant blue when lemon juice was added.
Examples
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The butterfly pea is known for its striking blue flowers, often adorning gardens around the world.
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Near the bottom of the Floral Trail, a pretty purple Butterfly Pea is in full bloom.
Blog text (31) -
These are our butterfly peas, lavender butterfly peas.
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Gardeners love growing the butterfly pea for its beautiful blossoms and its ability to attract pollinators.
Synonyms
A tropical vine with bright blue flowers often used to make tea
A tropical climbing plant with bright blue flowers used for tea or decoration
A tropical shrub or climbing plant with feather-like leaves and bright blue flowers known as butterfly pea
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound follows a straightforward modifier+noun pattern: 'pea' signals a plant and 'butterfly' describes a salient property (butterfly-like flowers or association with butterflies). This compositional relation is common and allows a B1 learner who knows both words to infer it denotes a type of pea/flowering plant.
Etymology
Butterfly pea comes from the plant's bright blue flowers that look like a small butterfly and from the fact the plant belongs to the pea family. So the name points to the climbing plant often grown for its blue or purple blooms and used to make 'herbal tea'.
