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cudweed

cudweed

9.9
A small plant with soft, woolly leaves that grows in dry, sandy soil
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌdˌwid/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cudweed
  • Some gardeners deliberately plant cudweed for its unique woolly appearance.

Examples

  • The cudweed blooms beautifully in the summer.

  • We noticed patches of cudweed growing along the roadside.

  • Cudweed thrives in poor, sandy soil and requires minimal maintenance.

  • Many cudweeds thrive in sandy soil.

  • The gardener planted cudweed among the other wildflowers to add texture and color to the sandy soil.

  • In dry regions, cudweed can often be found thriving alongside other hardy plants.

  • The soft, woolly leaves of cudweed make it easily recognizable in the wild.

Synonyms

Gnaphalium
vscudweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A small rough plant that has soft hairy leaves and pale flower heads

is the general common name for such woolly species
Filago
vscudweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A small woolly plant that grows in dry, sandy places

is the everyday name for plants with woolly flowers in that genus
Filago germanica
vscudweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A small woolly plant in the daisy family that grows in dry, sandy places

is the broader common name covering many similar species
cotton rose
vscudweed
  • UK
9.9

A small plant with tight groups of soft woolly flowers

is the wider common label for related woolly plants
cottonweed
vscudweed
  • US
9.7

A North American plant with soft, woolly, white flowers or leaves

is the general name for similar woolly plants beyond that region
wood cudweed
vscudweed
9.9

A small plant with woolly leaves and pale white flowers in damp shady woods

is the common term for various woolly species not only this perennial

Compounds

A small plant with woolly leaves and pale white flowers in damp shady woods

Surface Forms

cudweed singular
cudweeds plural

Morphology

cudweed = cud + weed (semi-transparent) = cud + weed

Formally a compound of 'cud' + 'weed', but the specific botanical name is a specialized label and 'cud' is low-frequency, so learners will only partially infer the meaning.

Etymology

Cudweed puts together cud, meaning 'food cows chew again', and weed, a wild plant. A helpful way to remember it is that the plant's small, woolly flower heads look like little balls of 'cud', so cudweed is the name of a soft, woolly wild plant often found in dry, sandy places.