Definition

Noun: 1. A small flowering plant: A small, widely branching herbaceous plant native to western North America, characterized by its tiny flowers that are typically blue and white. Its scientific name is Collinsia parviflora.

Usage Notes

• This is a compound noun that functions as the common name for a specific plant species. It is always used as a singular noun.
• It is primarily used in botanical, horticultural, and naturalist contexts to identify this particular wildflower.
• The name is descriptive, combining "maiden" (suggesting delicacy), "blue-eyed" (describing the flower's center), and "Mary" (a common name in plant nomenclature).

Examples

• Noun:
  • We identified several patches of maiden blue-eyed mary along the forest trail.
  • The maiden blue-eyed mary is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring.
  • This guidebook lists the maiden blue-eyed mary as native to regions from British Columbia to Colorado.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in ecological descriptions to indicate habitat or seasonal bloom.
  • The meadow's biodiversity is marked by the presence of species like the maiden blue-eyed mary.

Variants and Related Words

• Collinsia parviflora (n): The botanical Latin name for the maiden blue-eyed mary.
• Blue-eyed Mary (n): A more general common name that can refer to several species within the genus.

Synonyms

• Small-flowered collinsia (n): Another descriptive common name for the same plant.
• Collinsia (n): The genus name, used to refer to the group of related plants.

Different Meanings

• This term has only one specific meaning as the common name for the plant . It is not used idiomatically or with other definitions.

Noun

1. small widely branching western plant with tiny blue-and-white flowers; British Columbia to Ontario and south to California and Colorado