white bedstraw
- noun
- UK
:
galega blanca
- Gardeners often find white bedstraw spreading quickly in wildflower meadows.
Examples
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The field was covered in white bedstraw blooming among the tall grasses.
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The white bedstraw blooms beautifully in spring.
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White bedstraw can be recognized by its delicate panicles of tiny white flowers.
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Have you seen the white bedstraw in the meadow?
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White bedstraw can be recognized by its clusters of small white flowers that bloom in the summer.
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In the meadow, white bedstraw thrives among other wildflowers and adds beauty to the landscape.
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The gardener was pleased to see white bedstraw flourishing in the newly planted wildflower garden.
Synonyms
A plant from Europe and Asia with many small white flowers that grows in North America
A wild plant with loose groups of small white flowers that grows in Europe and North America
A small wild plant with thin stems and many tiny white or green flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward color + noun combination: 'white' (color) modifying 'bedstraw' (a plant), so the overall meaning — the white variety/species of bedstraw — is directly derivable from the constituents. Although it names a specific herb, the compositional pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common, making it understandable to a learner who knows both words.
Etymology
White bedstraw may come from people long ago who used soft plants to fill their mattresses: the word bedstraw is really bed + straw because the plant was used as bedding. The tiny white flowers explain the 'white' part, so the name paints a simple picture of a soft, white plant used for beds.
