capeweed

9.9

A low plant with yellow flowers and broad leaves like a cat's ears

noun
/ˈkeɪpˌwiːd/

: margarita de California

The field was covered in capeweed, its yellow blossoms stretching to the horizon.

Examples

Many gardeners love capeweed for its vibrant yellow flowers.
Gardeners often struggle to remove capeweed because it spreads quickly in disturbed soils.
After the heavy rains, patches of capeweed appeared along the roadside.
The capeweed blooms beautifully in the spring.
The field was covered in capeweed, its yellow blossoms stretching to the horizon.
Gardeners often struggle to remove capeweed because it spreads quickly in disturbed soils.
After the heavy rains, patches of capeweed appeared along the roadside.

Synonyms

California dandelion

vscapeweed

6.5

A plant with yellow flower heads and leaves like a cat's ear

is the botanical name for the same species rather than the common label

Hypochaeris radicata

vscapeweed

Specialized

9.9

A small plant with yellow flowers that often grows in lawns

is the botanical species label for that same plant

gosmore

vscapeweed

Specialized

9.9

A small wild plant with yellow flowers and ear-shaped leaves

is a formal botanical name rather than an informal negative label

Surface Forms

capeweed singular

capeweeds plural

Morphology

capeweed = cape + weed (transparent) = cape + weed

A straightforward compound: 'weed' modified by 'cape' (indicating association or origin), so the basic meaning 'a type of weed' is directly derivable from the components.

Etymology

Capeweed gets its name from where it first became known — the 'Cape' of Good Hope in South Africa — and the common word weed, which means a 'wild or unwanted plant'. So, capeweed is a wild plant from the Cape region that spreads quickly and is known for its yellow flowers.