frog's-bit

Thân thiện

A small frog rests on a patch of frog's-bit in a calm pond.

Definition

Noun: 1. A specific aquatic plant: Frog's-bit is the common name for Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, a free-floating freshwater plant native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is characterized by small, roundish, heart-shaped leaves that form rosettes on the water's surface and produces small, white, three-petaled flowers.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The pond's surface was covered with a dense mat of frog's-bit, its white flowers dotting the green.
  • Conservationists are concerned that frog's-bit is becoming an invasive species in some North American waterways.
  • You can identify frog's-bit by its distinctive round leaves that resemble tiny lily pads.

Advanced Usage

• As a habitat descriptor: The term can be used to describe a type of aquatic environment.
  • The shallow, still bay provided perfect conditions for a frog's-bit community.

Variants and Related Words

• Frogbit: A common alternate spelling and shortened form of "frog's-bit".
• Hydrocharis morsus-ranae: The formal botanical (Latin) name for the plant.
• Hydrocharitaceae: The plant family to which frog's-bit belongs.

Synonyms

• Floating plant: A general descriptive term.
• Aquatic macrophyte: A scientific term for a visible water plant.

Notes on Meaning

• The name "frog's-bit" is derived from the plant's habitat (frequented by frogs) and the appearance of its leaves being "bit" or small in size. It refers specifically to this single species and should not be confused with other floating plants like duckweed.

Học thuật

Noun

1. European floating plant with roundish heart-shaped leaves and white flowers

Từ đồng nghĩa

• frogbit
• Hydrocharis morsus-ranae