sweet unicorn plant
- noun
- US
- Botanists admire the unusual curved pods of the sweet unicorn plant.
Examples
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The sweet unicorn plant thrives in warm, sandy soils in southwestern North America.
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Many gardeners love the sweet unicorn plant for its unique fruit.
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Farmers sometimes cultivate the sweet unicorn plant for its ornamental appeal.
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The sweet unicorn plant is native to the southwestern United States.
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Many gardeners love the sweet unicorn plant for its unique fruit.
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Farmers sometimes cultivate the sweet unicorn plant for its ornamental appeal.
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The sweet unicorn plant thrives in warm, sandy soils in southwestern North America.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A group of flowering plants from the Americas with curved seed pods called devil's claws
A plant with large pale flowers and a long curved seed pod like a beak
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase composes directly from its parts: 'plant' names the organism, 'unicorn' serves as a modifier indicating a horn-like or unicorn-shaped feature, and 'sweet' describes taste. A B1 learner who knows these words would reasonably infer a plant with a unicorn-like (horn-shaped) part that is sweet, so the meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Sweet unicorn plant may get its name from the plant's long, curved pods that look like a unicorn's horn, and from a mild, sweet taste or smell some people notice. So the name helps you picture a plant with horn-shaped fruit today.