calico aster
- noun
- /ˈkælɪkoʊ ˈæstər/
- US
:
aster calico
- The calico aster adds a delicate touch to late summer gardens with its clusters of tiny flowers.
Examples
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In the wild, the calico aster often grows in moist meadows and along streams.
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The calico aster blooms in late summer.
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Botanists observed a field covered in blooming calico asters along the woodland edge.
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Look at that calico aster!
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In the wild, the calico aster often grows in moist meadows and along streams.
-
The calico aster adds a delicate touch to late summer gardens with its clusters of tiny flowers.
-
Botanists observed a field covered in blooming calico asters along the woodland edge.
Synonyms
A small North American plant with tiny white daisy-like flowers on thin stems
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'calico' (patterned/multicolored) modifies 'aster' (a type of flower), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to an aster with a calico-like color pattern. This follows normal English and cross-linguistic adjective-noun composition and is typical of botanical naming, making the meaning immediately derivable.
Etymology
Calico aster gets its name from the look of the flowers: they often have tiny spots or tinges of pink or purple like calico cloth. Calico is a cloth with small patches of color and aster is a star-shaped flower, so the name helps you picture its small, speckled, star-like blooms.
