purple ground cherry
- noun
- You can eat the purple ground cherry raw or use it to make jams and desserts.
Examples
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The purple ground cherry thrives in warm, tropical climates and is popular for its sweet fruit.
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Some farmers in Brazil grow purple ground cherry for both local consumption and export.
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The purple ground cherry is a unique plant.
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I love to eat purple ground cherries in the summer.
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Farmers often sell purple ground cherry at local markets because of its delightful flavor.
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In many gardens, the purple ground cherry is cultivated for its sweet and juicy fruits.
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You can find purple ground cherry growing alongside other vegetables in community gardens.
Synonyms
A small round green fruit with a thin papery husk used in Mexican cooking and the plant that grows it
A small plant that makes edible berries inside a thin paper husk
A Mexican plant that makes small fruits like tomatoes you can eat
A small Mexican plant that makes edible green or yellow fruits like small tomatoes
A small plant that produces sweet edible yellow fruits inside a thin paper husk
A plant with small fruit like tomatoes that you can eat
A small garden plant with round yellow berries inside a papery husk
A plant grown for its small edible orange-yellow fruits called Cape gooseberry or goldenberry
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'purple' (colour) modifies a noun phrase 'ground cherry', where 'ground' functions attributively to indicate a cherry-like fruit associated with the ground/low-growing plant. This follows ordinary English compounding/modification patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the three words can infer it refers to a small, purple, ground-growing cherry-like fruit or plant.
Etymology
Purple ground cherry is named for the small, cherry-like fruits that sit low on the ground inside a thin paper husk and are often purple. That's why the name refers to a plant with purple, edible fruits like tiny tomatoes.