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Glite Dictionary
entomophilous

entomophilous

9.9
Having pollen carried by insects like bees or butterflies
  • adjective
  • /ˌɛntəˈmɒfɪləs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : entomófilo
  • Many flowers, such as daisies and sunflowers, are entomophilous because they rely on insects for pollination.

Examples

  • The entomophilous plants in the garden attract bees and butterflies throughout the summer.

  • Studying the entomophilous species helps scientists understand how insect pollination affects plant diversity.

  • This condition defies categorization as either anemophily or hydrophily, but is obviously derived from entomophilous ancestors.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Furthermore, two genera in the tribe, Egeria and the basal genus Apalanthe, are entomophilous.

    Academic text (1996)

Antonyms

anemophilous
  • Specialized
9.9

Plants that are pollinated by wind rather than by insects or animals

Surface Forms

entomophilous positive

Morphology

entomophilous = entomophile (semi-transparent) = entomo + phil + ous

The base 'entomophile' is not a common English word, and the root 'entomo' is not independently recognizable to most learners.

Etymology

Entomophilous comes from Greek parts entomo- meaning 'insect' and -philous meaning 'loving'. So it literally means 'insect-loving', which is a clear image for plants that rely on insects to move their pollen.