What does nasturtium mean?
Word: Nasturtium
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nasturtium means a garden plant with round leaves and bright orange, yellow or red flowers; its leaves and flowers can be eaten.
Word origin: Comes from Latin, where it was the name of a sharp-smelling plant.
How do you spell nasturtium?
Syllables: nas - tur - tium
Tricky part: The end is -tium, said like shum. Students write it as it sounds, nasturshium or nastursium.
Watch out for: nasturshium, nastursium, nasturtiam
Memory tip: The sh sound at the end is spelt ti, as in nation and patience.
Nasturtium in a sentence
Example 1: Nasturtiums spilled over the edge of the balcony pots in a blaze of orange.
Example 2: Aunty added a few peppery nasturtium leaves to the salad.
Example 3: We grew nasturtiums from seed for our school garden project.
Fun Fact
The Romans used the name nasturtium for cress, a sharp-tasting plant. The garden nasturtium came later from South America and got the same name because its leaves taste peppery like cress.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Nasturtium comes from a Latin name that means ___.
a) nose-twister
b) red trumpet
c) water lover
d) sun-follower
Show answer
a) nose-twister. Nasus is nose and torquere is to twist, which fits the plant's strong smell.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) nastertium
b) chrysanthemum
c) geranium
d) marigold
Show answer
a) nastertium. The middle syllable is tur, with a u.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. nasturtium 2. bracken 3. succulent a. a plant with thick, fleshy leaves that store water b. a tall fern that grows on hills and in woods c. a trailing garden flower whose peppery leaves can go in a salad
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. Nasturtiums flower brightly, bracken is a fern, and a succulent stores water in its leaves.
Word Tally
Score 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. What is the total score?
nasturtium, sunflowr, lavender, jasmine, begonia
a) 4
b) 10
c) 6
d) 8
Show answer
d) 8. Only sunflower is wrong, missing its e, so four words earn 8 marks.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might a cook add nasturtium flowers to a salad?
a) for their bright colour and sharp taste
b) to thicken the dressing
c) to make it sweeter
d) to keep it cold
Show answer
a) for their bright colour and sharp taste
2. Which of these is NOT true of nasturtiums?
a) they grow only under water
b) they are grown in gardens
c) their flowers can be orange
d) their leaves can be eaten
Show answer
a) they grow only under water
