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Glite Dictionary
toothed sword fern

toothed sword fern

9.9
A tropical plant with grey-green leaves made of many thin parts used in shaded gardens
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : helecho espada dentado
  • The finely divided leaves of the toothed sword fern create an elegant look in botanical collections.

Examples

  • The toothed sword fern is a popular choice for adding lush texture to tropical gardens.

  • Gardeners in humid regions often use the toothed sword fern for ground cover in shaded areas.

  • The toothed sword fern thrives in humid environments.

  • I bought a toothed sword fern for my garden.

  • Gardeners in humid regions often use the toothed sword fern for ground cover in shaded areas.

  • The toothed sword fern is a popular choice for adding lush texture to tropical gardens.

  • The finely divided leaves of the toothed sword fern create an elegant look in botanical collections.

Synonyms

Nephrolepis pectinata
vstoothed sword fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical fern with fine grey-green leaves often grown as an indoor plant

is the everyday descriptive name for the same cultivated tropical fern

Surface Forms

toothed sword fern singular
toothed sword ferns plural

Morphology

toothed + sword + fern

The phrase is a descriptive compound: 'toothed' (having serrated margins) + 'sword' (sword-shaped) + 'fern' (a type of plant), so its referent — a fern with sword-like, toothed fronds — is directly inferable from the constituents. This compositional, literal naming pattern is cross-linguistically common for plant names, so a B1 learner who knows the words would understand the basic meaning even if they lack botanical detail.

Etymology

Toothed sword fern gets its name from the look of its leaves: the long, narrow leaves look like a sword, and their edges have many small tooth-like notches, so toothed describes the leaf edge. So the name points to a fern with sword-shaped leaves that have toothed edges.