silver lace
- noun
:
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- The silver lace is popular among gardeners for its unique silvery foliage and delicate white blossoms.
Examples
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She planted silver lace along the garden border to add texture and contrast.
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The silver lace blooms beautifully in spring.
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Botanists sometimes debate whether silver lace belongs to the genus Chrysanthemum.
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I planted some silver lace in my garden.
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Many gardeners appreciate silver lace for its striking silvery leaves and lovely white flowers.
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The silver lace plant thrives in sunny spots and is known for attracting butterflies.
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To create a beautiful landscape, she chose silver lace for its elegant appearance and low maintenance.
Synonyms
A small bush from the Canary Islands with white flowers and silvery leaves and hairy stems
A bushy plant with white leaves and flowers and hairy stems from the Canary Islands
A small bush with silver leaves and white flowers from the Canary Islands
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compounds 'silver' (a pale metallic colour) and 'lace' (delicate, openwork appearance) transparently suggest something silvery and lace-like in appearance, so a B1 learner would infer a descriptive property. However, the specific reference to a shrubby perennial plant (rather than a fabric or decorative object) is not directly predictable from the constituents without botanical or lexical knowledge, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The name silver lace probably comes from how the plant looks: the word silver refers to its pale, fuzzy leaves and stems, and lace describes its small, delicate white flowers and fine, lace-like texture. So, the name points to a 'plant with silvery, lace-like foliage'.
