chickweed phlox
- noun
- /ˈtʃɪkˌwid flɑks/
- US
:
phlox de hierba
- She spotted delicate clusters of chickweed phlox blooming between the stones on her hike.
Examples
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Gardeners often choose chickweed phlox as a ground cover for sunny, rugged landscapes.
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The chickweed phlox thrived in the rocky soil of the garden despite the harsh weather.
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The chickweed phlox blooms beautifully in spring.
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I saw chickweed phloxes growing in the garden.
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Gardeners often choose chickweed phlox as a ground cover for sunny, rugged landscapes.
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She spotted delicate clusters of chickweed phlox blooming between the stones on her hike.
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The chickweed phlox thrived in the rocky soil of the garden despite the harsh weather.
Synonyms
A low plant that forms a mat on rocky ground with small pink flowers
A low plant that grows in flat mats with pale blue or lavender flowers on dry rocky ground
A low plant with small flowers that forms mats on rocky ground
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun-noun compound: 'chickweed' (a low-growing plant) modifies 'phlox' (a genus of plants), so the phrase denotes a kind of phlox with chickweed-like habit. The meaning is directly derived from the literal constituents and follows common compositional naming patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Chickweed phlox comes from two simple images: chickweed is a tiny plant chickens would eat, and phlox refers to small, bright flowers that grow into a low mat. So when gardeners say chickweed phlox, they picture a low ground plant covered in little star-shaped flowers, which is why the name means 'a low, mat-forming herb'.
