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genus Stellaria

genus Stellaria

9.1
A group of small flowering plants often called chickweed or stitchwort
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Stellaria
  • The genus Stellaria includes plants that are often called chickweed due to their appearance.

Examples

  • Several species in the genus Stellaria are commonly found in temperate gardens worldwide.

  • The genus Stellaria includes several species of chickweed.

  • Researchers studied the distribution of the genus Stellaria across different European habitats.

  • Many gardeners appreciate the genus Stellaria for its beauty.

  • Researchers studied the distribution of the genus Stellaria across different European habitats.

  • The genus Stellaria includes plants that are often called chickweed due to their appearance.

  • Several species in the genus Stellaria are commonly found in temperate gardens worldwide.

Synonyms

chickweed
vsgenus Stellaria
1 8.1

A small plant that grows close to the ground and is often a weed in gardens

refers to the scientific group within the Caryophyllaceae family
Stellaria
vsgenus Stellaria
  • Specialized
9.8

A small plant with delicate white flowers often called chickweed

is the same but explicitly states it is a genus
stitchwort
vsgenus Stellaria
  • UK
9.9

A low plant with small white star-shaped flowers that grows in spring

is the scientific group name rather than the common plant name

Surface Forms

Morphology

genus + Stellaria

The phrase is a straightforward taxonomic label: combining 'genus' (a biological rank) with the proper name 'Stellaria' yields 'the genus named Stellaria', i.e. a group of related flowering plants. This noun + proper-name composition is fully compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the meaning.

Etymology

Genus Stellaria comes from the Latin word 'stella', meaning 'star', because the little flowers are star-shaped. That's why it is the name for this group of chickweed-like flowering plants.