Meaning of starve-acre | Babel Free

Definitions

A type of crowfoot Ranunculus arvensis, known for growing on impoverished soil.

uncountable

Examples

“Some sandy soils are much overrun with the wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum), provincially called " rump," while the clays are swarmed with starve-acre (Ranunculus arvensis), and the clivers or burrs (Galium aparine), which are very troublesome to separate⟳ from the grain when winnowed.”

“It seems that a particularly tiresome form⟳ of rauunculus, well described by the nickname of “starve-acre," can be cxterminated with dressings of sulphate of ammonia, and that this method is equally efficacious in ridding land⟳ of the picturesque but unprofitable poppy. Where there is more starve-acre than grass, the farmer pays twice his nominal rent⟳, and is otherwise wasting money by growing weeds on his pasture.”

“It is quite common for farmers to use⟳ cereal grains for seed which contain⟳ weed seeds, e.g. starve-acre (ranunculus arvensis), docks, wild oats, rye-like brome (bromus secolinus), etc.”

CEFR level