Definition

Noun 1. A North American annual plant with red or rose-colored flowers: This is the common name for a specific flowering plant species native to North America. It is an annual, meaning it completes its life cycle in one growing season.

Usage Notes

• "Lotus americanus" is a scientific botanical name. In everyday conversation, people are more likely to use its common names.
• It is typically used in contexts related to botany, gardening, wildflowers, or ecology.
• As a proper noun (a specific name), it is often written in italics in formal botanical texts.

Examples

• The field guide listed Lotus americanus as a native wildflower of the prairies.
• Botanists are studying the pollination habits of Lotus americanus.
• Several Lotus americanus plants have bloomed in the restoration garden.

Advanced Usage

• The name can be used in a taxonomic context to discuss classification.
  • The specimen was correctly identified as belonging to Lotus americanus.

Variants and Related Words

• Common Names: This plant is more commonly known by names such as prairie trefoil, red prairie trefoil, or American bird's-foot trefoil.
• Genus: (a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae).

Synonyms

• Prairie trefoil
• Red prairie trefoil
• American bird's-foot trefoil

Different Meanings

• This term refers specifically to the plant species. It is not to be confused with other plants named "lotus," such as the sacred lotus () of Asia.

Noun

1. North American annual with red or rose-colored flowers