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Glite Dictionary
witchweed

witchweed

9.9
A plant that grows on crop roots and makes them weak
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : hierba bruja
  • In parts of Africa, witchweed has devastated fields, leading to major reductions in crop yields.

Examples

  • Farmers are struggling with witchweed this season.

  • Witchweed can cause serious damage to corn and sorghum fields.

  • Farmers in some regions struggle to control the spread of witchweed among their crops.

  • The presence of witchweed often leads to lower harvests and economic losses for local communities.

  • The witchweed infestation has spread rapidly.

  • Witchweed is a serious threat to farmers, as it attaches to the roots of witchweed and causes significant damage.

  • Farmers in Asia are increasingly struggling with witchweed, a parasitic plant that harms their crops' growth.

Synonyms

striga
vswitchweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant that grows on crops and takes their water and food, often in Africa

is a broader common term for root parasites damaging crops in Africa and Asia
broomrape
vswitchweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that attaches to other plants' roots and takes food from them

is focused on root parasites that damage crops and cause major agricultural loss

Surface Forms

witchweed singular
witchweeds plural

Morphology

witchweed = witch + weed (semi-transparent) = witch + weed

The components 'witch' and 'weed' are clear, but the specific botanical sense (a particular parasitic plant named for folk beliefs) is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Witchweed combines witch and weed because people once blamed strange, harmful plants on 'witches' or bad magic and 'weed' means a wild, unwanted plant. It lives on other plants and takes their food, so it is parasitic. So witchweed is a name that tells you this plant attacks crop roots and can ruin harvests.