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Acer glabrum

Acer glabrum

9.3
A small maple tree that grows in western North America and is called Rocky Mountain maple
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : arce glabrum
  • The Acer glabrum thrives in the mountainous regions of the western United States.

Examples

  • In autumn, the leaves of Acer glabrum turn brilliant shades of yellow and orange.

  • Many gardeners prefer the Acer glabrum for its beautiful foliage.

  • Botanists identified the tree as Acer glabrum during their expedition.

  • The Acer glabrum thrives in cooler climates.

  • Botanists identified the tree as Acer glabrum during their expedition.

  • In autumn, the leaves of Acer glabrum turn brilliant shades of yellow and orange.

  • The Acer glabrum thrives in the mountainous regions of the western United States.

Synonyms

Rocky-mountain maple
vsAcer glabrum
  • Specialized
7.0

A small maple tree from northwestern North America with shrubby growth and attractive leaves

is the same species but usually written without a hyphen
dwarf maple
vsAcer glabrum
  • US
6.5

A small maple tree with short height and bright autumn leaves

focuses on species identity rather than height details

Surface Forms

Acer glabrum singular
Acer glabrumus singular

Morphology

Acer + glabrum

This is a Latin botanical name (binomial) where the species epithet 'glabrum' is not a common English word and is not defined for the learner; knowing 'Acer' as a tree genus does not let a B1 learner infer the specific species identity or meaning. Proper names and scientific Latin epithets are essentially lexicalized labels requiring specific knowledge, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Acer glabrum comes from Latin. Acer means 'maple' and glabrum means 'smooth' or 'without hairs', a simple way to describe the tree's smooth twigs and leaves, so the name literally says 'smooth maple' and points to the Rocky Mountain maple.