feathertop grass

9.3

A tropical African grass with soft feathery plumes

noun

South African

: hierba plumosa

The garden was dotted with clusters of feathertop grass swaying gently in the breeze.

Examples

With its attractive plumes, feathertop grass is sometimes used in dried floral arrangements.
Farmers in the region often encounter feathertop grass growing wild along irrigation channels.
The feathertop grass swayed gently in the breeze.
Many gardeners love the look of feathertop grasses in their landscapes.
Farmers in the region often encounter feathertop grass growing wild along irrigation channels.
The garden was dotted with clusters of feathertop grass swaying gently in the breeze.
With its attractive plumes, feathertop grass is sometimes used in dried floral arrangements.

Synonyms

feathertop

vsfeathertop grass

Specialized

9.8

A grass with soft, feathery flower heads that wave in the wind

is the tropical African species with plume-like panicles

Pennistum villosum

vsfeathertop grass

Specialized

9.9

A grass from northeastern Africa with feathery flower clusters

is the general tropical African plant with plume-like panicles

Pennisetum ruppelii

vsfeathertop grass

Specialized

9.9

A tall garden grass that lives for many years and has long nodding flower clusters

is the tropical African plant defined by plume-like panicles

plume grass

vsfeathertop grass

9.8

Tall grass with large feathery tops often grown in gardens

is the tropical African plant with plume-like panicles rather than reedlike form

Ravenna grass

vsfeathertop grass

9.1

A tall grass with long leaves and large feathery plumes like pampas grass

is the tropical African plant focusing on plume panicles rather than leaf display

Surface Forms

feathertop grass singular

feathertop grasses plural

Morphology

feathertop + grass

This is a transparent descriptive compound: 'feathertop' specifies a feathery, plume-like top and 'grass' names the plant, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a grass with feathery panicles. Descriptive noun+noun plant names are cross-linguistically common and follow regular composition patterns, making the meaning readily derivable at B1.

Etymology

Feathertop grass gets its name from the soft, feathery plumes at the very top of its stems. The parts feather and top make a clear picture: the grass has feather-like 'plumes' on its top, so the name describes how the plant looks.