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Glite Dictionary
cow-tongue fern

cow-tongue fern

9.9
A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or on the ground in warm places
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : helecho lengua de vaca
  • The cow-tongue fern has beautiful, strap-shaped leaves that can brighten any room.

Examples

  • You can often spot the cow-tongue fern growing on tree trunks in the Florida Everglades.

  • The cow-tongue fern is popular in tropical gardens for its striking foliage.

  • Some people grow the cow-tongue fern indoors as an ornamental plant.

  • The cow-tongue fern thrives in humid environments.

  • I saw a cow-tongue fern in the botanical garden.

  • In the rainforest, the cow-tongue fern often grows on the branches of trees, catching the sunlight.

  • Many gardeners appreciate the cow-tongue fern for its unique appearance and ease of care.

Synonyms

Florida strap fern
vscow-tongue fern
  • Specialized
8.8

A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or the ground in warm, wet places

has the same leaves but a narrower native range from Florida to Uruguay

Surface Forms

cow-tongue fern singular
cow-tongue ferns plural

Morphology

cow-tongue + fern

The compound is compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'cow', 'tongue' and 'fern' can infer this is a type of fern whose leaves resemble a cow's tongue (i.e. strap-shaped). Such descriptive noun compounds for plant shapes are transparent and follow common morphological patterns across languages, so the meaning is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Cow-tongue fern gets its name from its long, flat pale green leaves that look like a cow's tongue. So the name links the plant's shape to its meaning and helps you remember it as the fern with 'tongue-shaped' leaves.