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silver-leaved nightshade

silver-leaved nightshade

9.9
A wild plant with silvery leaves and round berries that people use to curdle milk
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : sombra de hojas plateadas
  • Some traditional cheese makers use berries from silver-leaved nightshade to curdle milk.

Examples

  • The fields were overrun with silver-leaved nightshade after the summer rains.

  • Farmers often struggle with silver-leaved nightshade in their fields.

  • Many ranchers dislike silver-leaved nightshade because it spreads quickly among crops.

  • The silver-leaved nightshade grows abundantly in the wild.

  • Some traditional cheese makers use berries from silver-leaved nightshade to curdle milk.

  • Many ranchers dislike silver-leaved nightshade because it spreads quickly among crops.

  • Farmers often struggle with silver-leaved nightshade in their fields.

Synonyms

Solanum elaeagnifolium
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with silvery leaves, light blue or white flowers, and round berries sometimes used to curdle milk

is the common plant name rather than the scientific label
silver-leaved nettle
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • US
9.9

A plant with silvery leaves, small blue or white flowers, and a round berry used to curdle milk

is the primary name instead of this alternative label
silverleaf nightshade
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • US
9.9

A wild plant with silvery leaves and violet or white flowers that can be poisonous to animals

is the broader familiar name not limited to perennial label
white horse nettle
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild plant with silvery leaves and violet, blue, or white flowers that has round berries used to curdle milk

is the general name, not this specific variant label
trompillo
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild plant with silvery leaves and blue or white flowers that makes berries used to curdle milk

focuses on the plant identity rather than on common use
purple nightshade
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • US
9.9

A wild plant with silvery leaves, violet, blue or white flowers and round berries used to make milk into cheese

describes the plant generally, not by berry color
prairie berry
vssilver-leaved nightshade
  • US
9.9

A wild plant with silvery leaves and round berries that people use to curdle milk

refers to the plant in general instead of that regional name

Surface Forms

Morphology

silver-leaved + nightshade

The phrase is a straightforward descriptive compound: 'silver-leaved' means 'having silvery leaves' and 'nightshade' names a type of plant, so the combined meaning (a nightshade with silvery leaves) is directly inferable from the parts. This adjective+noun composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily understand it.

Etymology

Silver-leaved nightshade is named for its pale, shiny leaves (silver-leaved) and for being in the nightshade group of plants with berries. Its berries were used to curdle milk and the plant spreads fast in fields, so the name helps you remember a silvery-leaf plant that can be useful but also a problem for farmers.