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Glite Dictionary
white milkweed

white milkweed

8.9
A tall desert plant from the southwestern United States with white leafless stems and pale star-shaped flowers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : algodoncillo blanco
  • The leafless stems of white milkweed make it easy to identify among other wildflowers.

Examples

  • The white milkweed grows abundantly in the deserts of Arizona.

  • Many gardeners love planting white milkweeds for their unique flowers.

  • Researchers studied the properties of white milkweed in its natural habitat.

  • The white milkweed blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Researchers studied the properties of white milkweed in its natural habitat.

  • The white milkweed grows abundantly in the deserts of Arizona.

  • The leafless stems of white milkweed make it easy to identify among other wildflowers.

Synonyms

Asclepias albicans
vswhite milkweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall desert plant with mostly leafless white waxy stems and small star-shaped white flowers

is more general and omits perennial and mostly leafless details

Surface Forms

white milkweed singular
white milkweeds plural

Morphology

white + milkweed

This is a simple adjective + noun composition: the phrase denotes a milkweed plant that is white, so the overall meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'white' (color) + 'milkweed' (the plant). Such color + noun combinations are cross-linguistically common and follow standard noun-modification patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.

Etymology

White milkweed: The name white milkweed comes from two simple images: many milkweed plants have a 'milky sap', and this species has pale, white stems and flowers. So the name points to the plant's 'milky sap' and 'colour', helping you recognise this wildflower.