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Glite Dictionary
grape-leaf begonia

grape-leaf begonia

8.2
A South African flowering plant with rounded leaves that have shallow lobes and small white flowers
  • noun
  • South African
translation icon : begonia de hoja de uva
  • Collectors prize the grape-leaf begonia for its unique leaf shape and delicate blooms.

Examples

  • Botanists studied the adaptations of the grape-leaf begonia to its South African habitat.

  • The grape-leaf begonia thrives in shaded corners of the greenhouse.

  • The grape-leaf begonia thrives in warm climates.

  • I bought a grape-leaf begonia for my living room.

  • Collectors prize the grape-leaf begonia for its unique leaf shape and delicate blooms.

  • The grape-leaf begonia thrives in shaded corners of the greenhouse.

  • Botanists studied the adaptations of the grape-leaf begonia to its South African habitat.

Synonyms

begonia
vsgrape-leaf begonia
2 6.5

A plant with bright flowers and attractive leaves often grown for decoration

is a South African kind with tuberous roots and small white flowers
Begonia dregei
vsgrape-leaf begonia
  • Specialized
9.9

A small flowering plant from South Africa with thick underground roots, slightly lobed oval leaves, and small white flowers

has the same meaning but is the common descriptive name
tuberous begonia
vsgrape-leaf begonia
8.2

A garden plant with thick underground roots and large bright flowers

is specific to South Africa with shallowly lobed leaves and small white flowers

Surface Forms

grape-leaf begonia singular
grape-leaf begonias plural

Morphology

grape-leaf + Begonia

The phrase refers to a type of begonia characterized by leaves like those of a grape vine, so its meaning is directly deducible from combining 'grape' + 'leaf' as a modifier with 'begonia'. Even if 'grape-leaf' is not listed separately in a dictionary, this descriptive compound follows regular noun-modifier composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would understand it.

Etymology

Grape-leaf begonia comes from how the plant looks: its round leaves with small wavy edges look like a grape leaf. The word begonia names the plant group, so the compound name means 'a begonia with leaves like a grape leaf'.