GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | ||||||
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17:15 Jul 21, 2015 |
Spanish language (monolingual) [PRO] Food & Drink | ||||
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| Selected response from: Charles Davis Spain Local time: 16:39 | |||
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SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED | ||||
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5 | Spanish common name of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis |
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5 | infusión de cálices de Hibiscus sabdariffa (flor de Jamaica o rosa de Jamaica) |
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Discussion entries: 3 | |
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flor de jamaica Spanish common name of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Explanation: I changed the title of your question, which is about the flower, not the tea. Many plants have multiple common names, so it's no surprise that Spanish has both "hibisco" (based on the Latin) and another name as well, which may be named after the country--we don't know at this point. That's why botanists don't mess around with common names. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2015-07-21 20:19:26 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- It's also true the other way around: a single common name can refer to multiple plants (e.g., 'mock orange', which is used to refer to 5 different plants). This confusion led Linnaeus to organize the botanical world using Latin-based names that would be specific for each plant. His system is still used to this day and has been vastly extended. It is a universal language that has been adopted worldwide, facilitating communication about the living world. (I learned this in botany classes.) |
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infusión de cálices de Hibiscus sabdariffa (flor de Jamaica o rosa de Jamaica) Explanation: Normally Spanish-Spanish questions are asked and answered in Spanish, so I've given a definition in Spanish above, but I'll explain my answer, and try to address your questions, in English. The drink called "agua de Jamaica" in Spanish has that name because it is made from a plant whose common name in Spanish is "flor de Jamaica" or "rosa de Jamaica". In fact it is an abbreviated form of "agua de flor de Jamaica". Specifically, the drink is made from the calyces of this plant (a calyx is a set of sepals, which form a covering for the flower in bud and a support for the petals when the flower opens). The scientific name of this plant is Hibiscus sabdariffa. As the name suggests, it is a type of hibiscus, but not the only type, by any means. There are several hundred species of hibiscus around the world. This particular one, native to tropical Africa, grows in Mexico and Central America and in Asia, among other places. The drink is often called hibiscus tea in English, but it is only made from this particular type of hibiscus. The name "flor/rosa de Jamaica" and the drink have nothing to do with Hibiscus rosa-sinensis or any other species apart from Hibiscus sabdariffa. "Flor/rosa de Jamaica" is also called "rosella" in Spanish, and its normal common name in English is roselle. It is also called sorrel in the English-speaking Caribbean, confusingly, because it is quite different from true sorrel (Rumex acetosa, another medicinal plant). The name "flor de Jamaica" or "rosa de Jamaica" is specifically used for this plant in Mexico and Central America, and agua de Jamaica is particularly popular in Mexico. The name "Jamaica" is used as an alternative to "hibiscus tea" in the U.S. http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/08/tea-technique-how-to-b... So to answer your specific questions, "de Jamaica" means "de flor de Jamaica", and it is not synonymous with "de la flor de hibisco", because there are many kinds of "flor de hibisco", and "flor de Jamaica" is just one specific kind. "Jamaica" does not only refer to the beverage; it refers to the plant from which it is made, but although it is true that "flor de Jamaica" is a hibiscus, it is not true that this Spanish term applies to hibiscus in general; it only applies to the particular hibiscus known as roselle. In your botany test, if your hibiscus is roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and you identify it as "flor de Jamaica", you are right, but not if it is any other species of hibiscus. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 hrs (2015-07-21 22:50:21 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- I think the key point to bear in mind, in the light of your question, is that despite the name "hibiscus tea", "hibiscus" is not one particular plant, it is any one of a whole range of related plants, and "flor de Jamaica" is just one of these. To put it another way, hibiscus is a genus, not a species. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 days (2015-07-26 16:34:05 GMT) Post-grading -------------------------------------------------- I'm very glad. Thank you! |
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