licorice fern
- noun
- /ˈlɪkərɪʃ fɜrn/
- Specialized
:
helecho de regaliz
- The licorice fern is often found growing on mossy logs in Pacific Northwest forests.
Examples
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Some indigenous peoples traditionally chewed the rootstock of the licorice fern for its sweet taste.
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The licorice fern is native to the Pacific Northwest.
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Botanists studied how the licorice fern survives in shaded, moist environments.
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Many herbalists use licorice ferns for their medicinal properties.
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Some indigenous peoples traditionally chewed the rootstock of the licorice fern for its sweet taste.
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The licorice fern is often found growing on mossy logs in Pacific Northwest forests.
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Many herbalists use licorice ferns for their medicinal properties.
Synonyms
A fern from western North America with sweet underground stems that people chew
How Sweet
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a fern with licorice-like roots or flavor' is directly derivable from combining 'licorice' (sweet, licorice-like plant/roots) with 'fern' (a type of plant). This is a straightforward descriptive noun–noun compound following common compositional patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The plant name licorice fern comes from the sweet taste of its underground root, which people said tasted like 'licorice'. Because people chewed that licorice fern's root for the sweet taste, the name now describes the fern with a licorice-like flavor.