red baneberry

9.9

A plant from North America with red poisonous berries and small white flowers

noun
/rɛd ˈbeɪnˌbɛri/

Specialized

: baya venenosa roja

The red baneberry is toxic to humans.

Examples

Many hikers avoid touching the red baneberry because its berries are highly poisonous.
In the shaded forest, clusters of red baneberry stood out among the greenery.
Children must be taught to recognize red baneberry and not to eat its tempting fruit.
Many birds enjoy the berries of the red baneberry.
The garden was filled with beautiful red baneberry plants, showcasing their bright red berries.
When hiking in the woods, I carefully avoided the red baneberry, knowing it could be toxic.
The red baneberry is easily identifiable by its clusters of white flowers and striking red berries.

Synonyms

Actaea rubra

vsred baneberry

Specialized

9.9

A North American plant that lives for many years with divided leaves, small white flowers, and bright red poisonous berries

means the same plant but is the common name not the scientific form

snakeberry

vsred baneberry

9.9

A small woodland plant with white flowers and bright red poisonous berries

is a more specific common name that highlights the berry color

baneberry

vsred baneberry

Specialized

9.9

A plant that grows in woods with clusters of small poisonous berries

is the specific North American species with bright red poisonous berries

Surface Forms

red baneberry singular

red baneberries plural

Morphology

red + baneberry

This is a straightforward color + noun compound: 'red' simply describes the color of the 'baneberry'. If a learner knows 'red' and 'baneberry' (a poisonous berry), they can infer the phrase denotes a baneberry that is red; the modifier + noun composition is cross-linguistically common and fully compositional.

Etymology

Red baneberry comes from the old word bane meaning 'poison' and berry meaning the fruit; its bright red berries look tempting but are poisonous, so the name warns you not to eat them.