giant scrambling fern
- noun
- Australian
:
helecho gigante trepador
- The giant scrambling fern quickly overtook the garden wall, creating a dense, green curtain.
Examples
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Researchers found several giant scrambling ferns growing along the forest edge in Fiji.
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The giant scrambling fern thrives in humid environments.
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Landscapers recommend pruning the giant scrambling fern regularly to keep it under control.
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I saw a giant scrambling fern in the botanical garden.
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Landscapers recommend pruning the giant scrambling fern regularly to keep it under control.
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Researchers found several giant scrambling ferns growing along the forest edge in Fiji.
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The giant scrambling fern quickly overtook the garden wall, creating a dense, green curtain.
Synonyms
1
6.9
A very large fern that grows in wet tropical forests
A large spreading fern that forms dense patches up to 18 feet high in the Pacific and China
A fern with long leaves that wrap around other plants to grow upward
How Big
- Australian
54
1.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'giant' (very large) + 'scrambling' (climbing/spreading) + 'fern' (a plant) yields a very large fern that climbs or spreads. Although 'scrambling' is a verb-form applied to a plant, this participial modifier is a common, predictable extension in English and a B1 learner who knows the three words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Giant scrambling fern paints a simple picture: giant means very large, scrambling shows the plant 'climbs' or 'spreads' over walls and other plants, and fern is the leafy plant. So, the name describes how this plant grows: a very large fern that 'climbs' or 'spreads' to make big green patches.